Searching Stars
by CC.x.Charming
Summary: The story of Revan, AKA "Logan", and Bastila and their hunt for the star forge... based on events of the game but a more in depth look at their relationship... LSM/Bastila
1. Chapter 1

**Revan and Bastila the hunt for the star forge...**

Logan was slouched in a comfortable chair in the cockpit of the Ebon Hawk, his hands were loosely thrown behind his head, however, despite the casual demeanour that he so effortlessly projected, a turbulent battle raged inside his head.

Everything had changed so quickly, he had gone from being one of the most notorious smugglers in the galaxy to a soldier for the republic, that was a change he could handle, barely, but this? This took the biscuit. His deep green eyes flitted about in the darkness as he continued to ponder his situation. Rays of sunlight were beginning to find their way over the roof of the jedi enclave, subtly illuminating the courtyard, the tranquillity of this place perplexed Logan. The sense of calm was something that he had experienced few times within his life, but it wasn't just the calm that unnerved him, Dantooine held a familiarity that he could not place, it was as if he had walked these halls before...

"_A jedi? Me? Uhh..."_ The thought itself made him cringe, a jedi meant a do-gooder, a holier than thou servant, a white knight, a celibate monk spouting religious clap trap to anyone who'll listen. That was not him, it would never be him, defending the republic was one thing, doing so with a lightsaber in his hand, a lump caught in his throat as he finished his train of thought. He clambered out of his chair while desperately trying to shake the uncertainties from his shoulders, it was inevitable now, he would be a jedi, the galaxy demanded it. With a sigh, he grabbed his military jacket and headed for the exit ramp, he couldn't postpone this meeting forever.

Nail-biting was a typical way to pass the time for Carth Onasi, it was his way of dealing with any irritations and anxiety's that the galaxy threw at him, it had thrown so many at him in recent times that it meant he barley had any nails left. Carth was too busy tackling a particularly stubborn nail remnant on his thumb to see Logan approach, a deep and deliberate cough soon pulled him from his stupor.

"Oh, I was just...I've been up for ages...you were supposed to meet me here half an hour ago!" He spluttered, quickly diverting attention away from his embarrassing habit. "Where have yo...y... you look terrible are you OK?"

"I've had better nights Carth I would say that." Logan replied "Flames my head feels like its about to split open!" He rubbed his temples tenderly to emphasise his point.

"What happened? First Bastila comes out looking like a ghost now you, but I must say Bastila makes a far more attractive g.." Logan's eyes lit up whenever that name was mentioned, somehow she found her way into his thoughts more often than not these days.

"Wait what did you say about Bastila? Is she OK?"

"Well all she said to me is that she had a bad dream. Why?" Reality began to dawn on Logan, he had a 'bad dream' as well and it was no mere coincidence. He mentally kicked himself for being so dense, there was a foreign presence in that 'dream' that he should of detected at the time, _her_ presence. They had shared a vision. "I've got to go Carth." Logan finally said, while trying to sound as casual as possible but he failed miserably.

"NO WAIT LOGAN!"

"The council was expecting me half an hour ago, and you know its not wise to keep a jedi waiting... just...just go back and check on the others I will inform you later I promise." He waved a hand to Carth as he disappeared into the council chambers. The older man's hand flew to his mouth as he once again took his frustrations out on his fingers. He hated being left out of the loop, he was not going to be betrayed, not again..

"Finally the padawan arrives !" The stern voice of master Vrook bellowed, it carried effortlessly around the unassuming room. Vrook's brown eyes bore deep into Logan's soul, searching desperately for, for what?

"W_hat is he looking for?"_ The young man found himself wondering. The unrelenting glare unsettled him and his irritation seeped into his answer.

"I didn't realise there was a set time." The flatness in his voice earned him another glare from Vrook, but this time Logan caught something in his eye which he didn't notice before, disgust. "Sorry have I done something to offend you Vrook?" He growled in an attempt to stand his ground, despite the feeling of ignorance that crept up his neck.

"That's MASTER Vrook to you," The old jedi spat, clearly taken aback by Logan's incredulous behaviour. "and your insolent behaviour is what offends me padawan!"

"Very well then MASTER Vrook !" Logan scoffed, performing a mock bow as he spoke, "Your arrogance offends me, oh and by the way its Logan! Not PADAWAN!"

"So much anger and hatred boils inside him! How can we pin all of our hopes on him when he is already marked with failure!" Vrook waved a dismissive hand in Logan's direction, leaving the young man slightly hurt by his reaction.

"VROOK! Control yourself !" The smallest and the eldest of the jedi spoke now, stepping in before the conversation got out of hand. His voice held authority that Logan did not expect, he was only just learning that with the force, anything was possible. "Padawan Logan has shown great potential so far and has been placed in a confusing position that will take time to get used to, for all of us. But we ask so much because we have no choice." The tiny green jedi spoke in a softer voice now, a voice that intended, and succeeded to provide clarity to all present. After hearing him speak, Logan's anger melted away and he was only left with disappointment at his outburst.

"I am sorry master Vandar, I shouldn't let my anger get the better of me." Logan lowered his head as he said the words, subtly trying to get the bitter taste of shame out of his mouth. The diminutive master seemed to notice this and shot a warm and encouraging smile in Logan's direction.

"And...I...I" After a few moments silence Logan continued. "I am sorry, master Vrook, I should not of been so disrespectful towards you." Vrook nodded in appreciation but the mistrust that shone in his eyes caused the frustration to rise within Logan once more.

"Very well." Vandar started, dismissing the tension in the room. "We have gathered you and Bastila here because of the dream you and she shared," Logan glanced over towards Bastila as the master spoke, her demeanour was calm and tranquil, something he knew was a façade. Her pale blue eyes met his, suddenly he became very nervous. "Bastila has already described to us in detail the events that took place in this dream, the council has come to the conclusion that it was a vision of Revan and Malak."

"I already figured that out" Logan stated dryly.

"Yes well." Dorak , the chronicler of the order continued. "We believe that those ruins are actually the remnants of an ancient jedi tomb here on Dantooine and that Revan and Malak found something important within."

"Yes that would explain the power that we felt coming from around the ruins." Bastila hypothesised, speaking up for the first time.

"But surely not the aura that we felt?" Logan interjected, he was now slowly beginning to gain in confidence when it came to the force, he was learning to trust his instincts, and he enjoyed it as well. "That power was of the dark side, an aura like that must have been coming from something separate inside the ruins. Right?"

"Well done Logan!" The Twi'lik master, Zhar praised. Also speaking for the first time." Your insights serve you well my apprentice, always trust in them and you can never go wrong." Logan gave a warm smile to the friendly pink Twi'lik which was returned in kind. Zhar had been the one who trained Logan most directly, where the other masters had been sceptical about welcoming him into the order, Zhar had been warm and kind, Logan was grateful for that.

"Any way, we are sending you and Bastila to investigate the ruins, if you find what Revan and Malak were searching for it could give us vital information. Information we could use to top the sith." Vandar summarised.

"Of course master Vandar, we will not fail you." Bastila declared, giving a deep bow as she spoke and left the council chambers closely followed by Logan. After travelling to the Ebon Hawk and changing into his dark brown padawan robes presented to him by master Zhar, Logan felt as ready as he would ever feel to begin the life of a jedi. He stared at himself in the mirror on his wall and inhaled deeply.

"What have you gotten yourself into Logan?." He muttered to himself as he clipped his lightsaber to his belt and headed to the exit ramp.

"Hey wait up!" The young man shouted as he chased after Bastila over the Dantooine plains.

"Its not my fault that you cant keep up!" She laughed, the noise was so refreshing to Logan, her voice was pure , it held an innocence that he did not expect to find there. The long grass snapped at her robes as she ploughed through the meadow. A dark smile formed on his lips as he used the force to augment his speed, within moments he was streaming past Bastila. She couldn't help but be amused by his competitive nature.

"_He thinks he is so quick, well he's in for a surprise!_" She found herself thinking, she knew that it wasn't the most appropriate use of the force but she couldn't help it. She couldn't let him win. Bastila tensed her palm and felt the force dance across her fingertips, she then began to channel the energy using her body, augmenting her muscles and reflexes. She ran through the plains, flying past Logan until she came to the top of a hill leading towards the Sandral estate. The world was moving so slowly, crisp greens and crimson reds were a blur in her mind. As she got to the top of the hill, she was greeted with a gorgeous view of the Dantooine sunset, the golden sun looked like a sea of honey, it was leaking into the iridescent blue sky.

"Beautiful" She muttered to herself. The effects of the force were wearing off now, the world was speeding up .Logan did not see Bastila stop in front of him and as a result crashed into her. The force of the impact sent them both toppling to the ground in an ungraceful heap. Bastila's ice blue orb's flashed up at the man lying on top of her, she smacked his arm as punishment for being so clumsy. Logan couldn't help but smirk as he watched the embarrassment spread like a rash across he features.

"Logan!" She scolded, desperately trying to dismiss the uncompromising position they were in."You really should watch where your going!"

"I could, but what would be the fun in that?" He flashed her a cheeky smile as he spoke which caused the blush that adorned her cheeks to deepen.

"Just...just don't be so clumsy next time OK?"

"So, you want there to be a next time?"

"Must you always tease me!" Bastila scorned, still pinned under Logan's larger frame. Despite her protests, she couldn't shake the sense of comfort and warmth that Logan projected, it unsettled her. "I simply say one thing and you twist it into something to tease me with!"

"You can complain all you want but I know you love it!" His hands found their way to her stomach, pinching the cloth and skin that he found there. He smiled to himself when he achieved his goal as a soft gasp escaped from Bastila's lips. Her body tensed as his rough fingers pressed deeper into her sensitive skin.

"What are you doing?" She whispered, while staring into his jade depths. He didn't reply, he just smiled. His eyes seemed darker than before, more mysterious, the intensity of his gaze frightened her. In that moment she realised that she was at the mercy of the man. Logan spared a glance down into her stormy blue eyes as he felt her heart rate quicken. After a few moments of silence, Bastila spoke up, pushing her slender hands into his chest as she struggled against his larger form.

"You're hurting me...let me go." He granted her request, but kept his eyes fixed on her. She rubbed her hands over her cloths, as if she was trying to wipe away any traces of the man.

"I make you nervous." It was not a question, it was a statement, a statement they both knew was true.

"What? No! I just hardly think you're behaviour is appropriate when we have a mission to complete." He stepped closer, placing a hand on her forearm, she made no attempt to remove it. The blush was back, and it was spreading like wildfire, it was something which Logan found very amusing. He had decided to take advantage of situations like this whenever they presented themselves.

"You enjoyed it though, didn't you?" His husky voice never failed to draw her in, but this was ridiculous, she was a jedi! She pushed him away, dismissing the situation completely.

"We...should...head for those ruins now." She murmured while marching past him, only halting when he called out to her once more.

"Bastila...I think its back the other way." She fought down her frustration as he pointed towards the direction of the ruins.

"Right, lets go then." And with that, the jedi travelled to the ruins in silence.


	2. Chapter 2

Out side the ruins...

Logan deactivated his blue lightsaber after taking down a horned kath hound. "Bloody things." He muttered as he turned to his female jedi companion. "They always jump out when you least expect it."

"Yes, well, back to the business at hand," Bastila replied and pointed to the massive door which was obviously the entrance to the ruins they were looking for. Both jedi could feel the power coming from the ruins and Bastila shuddered at what she felt. "I...I have never felt anything like this before."

"Me neither...however I have only been a jedi for three weeks so that probably explains it. Shall we see if anyone's home?"

Logan strode up to the ancient looking door and to his surprise it opened as he came close to it, he stepped into the dark hallway and there he found an even darker atmosphere. At the opposite end of the hallway there was a door similar to the one he and Bastila entered through. As they paced up to it Logan expected it to automatically open but it didn't.

"What do we do now?" Bastila asked sounding slightly worried. Logan closed his eyes and remembered how Revan and Malak had gotten into the ruins. He lifted his hand and slowly opened the ancient locks on the door using the force. After the door opened he gave Bastila a smug smile.

"Ladies first." Logan teased , Bastila simply sighed as she walked through the door. As the pair of young padawan's walked into the dimly lit chamber they both saw an unusual looking droid, one neither of them had ever seen before.

"Huuseef joiiskkeyy slehhressgurb voifleaaskzzy... hooormidd fullask queert sieeemeeerg?"

"What language is that your trying to speak?" Logan queried, he quickly realised it was trying to communicate with him. The droid paused for a moment and then started speaking in a different language.

"Quatin skumin loymin keyt... keylin tulas hermid foylat. Kermad soylat erbos?

"I still don't understand you." The droid paused for another moment as it tried to find a suitable language to use to communicate with the jedi. When the droid spoke for the third time it made sense, even though it was speaking in an alien dialect both jedi understood it.

"Hey! I understood you!"

"I recognise this language as well. It seems to be speaking an archaic variant of the Selkath language." Bastila explained sounding slightly surprised.

"How would a droid on Dantooine know ancient Selkath?" Logan asked, sounding equally taken aback.

"I don't know." Logan asked the droid a few questions, eventually discovering the only way to find out what was inside the ruins was to pass two tests.

"...We have to do is complete the tests to the left and the right and the door behind the droid opens up... simple." Logan explained as they were heading to the door on the left.

"I know but don't you think it could be a tr..." Bastila stopped in her tracks and gasped as the corpse of a jedi lay on the floor. It was not a pretty sight, the man's chest had been completely ripped open, there was blood every where. Pain was still etched on the man's face."Oh poor Nemo!" Bastila sobbed, tear's were streaming from her face. Logan bent down and closed the jedi's eyes. He had met him briefly in the courtyard the day before and immediately found he had a lot of respect for the man. Logan picked up Nemo's lightsaber and attached it to his belt. Bastila was still weeping but had turned away from his body, she couldn't bring her self to look at the gruesome sight.

"Hey, shhh, its OK." Logan said wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in close.

"He.. he.. must have been... in so much pain!"

"The force will allow him to live on." He said in a soft tone doing his best to comfort her. Logan's hands went to her cheeks and gently wiped away the tears that were falling. He tilted her head up to meet his gaze and his fingers rested under her chin. The course skin on his fingers warmed her body to the core. She looked into his warm and inviting emerald eyes and smiled, he was there for her, without hesitation, without question. It had been that way from the first moment she saw him on Taris.

"_Your full of beauty."_ He thought to himself. Bastila remembered that they had a mission to complete and reluctantly pulled away.

"I... I know. I am fine now. Thank you."

"Did you do this?" Logan demanded turning to the droid. A hint of anger was evident in his voice.

"I am not programmed for combat." Logan turned to his companion and unclipped his lightsaber from his belt.

"Be ready." He warned, the female jedi gave him a nod as she unclipped her double-bladed sabre from her belt. As the jedi walked into the room they saw an inactive ancient battle droid waiting for them. Both jedi immediately ignited their lightsaber's and the room glowed yellow and blue, the droid suddenly came to life and started firing plasma bolts at them. Logan directed a force leap at the droid and swung his sabre at its head, a move which should of cleanly decapitated it. He was frustrated when his blade bounced of the droid. He quickly summarised that lightsaber's would have no affect so he would have to rely on his force powers, he was even more frustrated when he realised force attacks had little affect as well. The droid's shields, while obviously old, were very powerful. "Bastila get back!" He ordered, and with that he executed a massive back flip towards the entrance of the room while throwing an iron grenade to disable the droid, Logan landed softly on his feet as a massive explosion illuminated the room. Bastila was still in combat stance, waiting to see if the droid was still active. The grenade had the desired effect as the droid had collapsed in ungraceful heap. Logan threw his lightsaber at the droid, severing its head and permanently destroying it. "Fucker!" He exclaimed, while wiping the sweat from his brow. Both jedi walked up to the terminal at the end of the room, Logan studied the terminal before deciding to press a button. The terminal flickered to life but the computer proved to be just as frustrating as the machines. Neither jedi could understand the language on the screen. Logan vented his frustration on the terminal and gave it a swift kick. "OW! YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Logan cried while cradling his injured foot.

"Logan! Must you be so vulgar?"

"What? My foot hurts."

"Well its your own fault for kicking the damned terminal." After the pair had finished speaking, the terminal flashed a few times, this drew their attention. The terminal was silent for a moment, and then let out a lone beep that Logan's data pad mimicked. Inserting his data pad into a receptacle in the terminal, he waited. Within a few seconds, words appeared on the screen in the form of a question.

"WHAT ARE THE THREE PRIMARY DEATH BRINGING SEEDS?"

Logan scratched his head in confusion then more words appeared on his data pad. They read: ARBOREAL, VOLCANIC, GRASSLAND, DESERT, OCEANIC, BARREN.

"I get it." He said to himself. Bastila was watching intently, she walked up to him and placed a hand on is broad shoulder.

"What is it? She asked. He turned to her and gave her a warm smile.

"Its simple, to pass the test we need to pick the three that cannot support life, they are barren, desert and volcanic." Bastila looked at his data pad and agreed. He typed them into the terminal and moved on to the second room. This proved to be even more challenging. Before Logan could throw an iron grenade, the battle droid guarding the terminal shot an orange bolt directly at Logan which hit him in the chest. He fell to the ground limp, the shot had temporarily paralysed him leaving him unable to defend himself. Bastila was too busy deflecting shots away from Logan to see the orange beam come at her. It hit her on the left side numbing her limbs on that side. She pulled herself up to a wall and held her lightsaber with only one blade active in her right hand. Logan saw the droid move slowly forward readying its self for the kill, he didn't want to end up like Nemo but there wasn't much he could do.

"ARRR!" Bastila yelped, a stray shot nicked her right wrist and her lightsaber tumbled out of her hand leaving her defenceless, Logan slowly felt the feeling return to his body, just before the battle droid could plant its killing shot on the female jedi Logan leapt out in front of her, his blue sabre leaping to life with a snap hiss. His lightsaber was a blur, deflecting every shot and sending it back at the droid, while he was defending Bastila he used the force to throw an iron grenade at the battle droid, disabling it, he then charged at it and cut it in half.

"BASTILA!" Logan ran towards where she was slumped, clutching her wrist.

"Its not as bad as it looks" She insisted but Logan was having non of it.

"Let me see." He said, while gently removing her delicate hand from the wound. It was deep and had also peeled away plenty of skin. The wound was bleeding heavily as well. Logan placed his hand over the wound and closed his eyes, using the force to repair the damage the droid did. He managed to heal most of the wound but it still looked quite sore. He ripped off the left sleeve of his tunic and gently wrapped it round Bastila's wrist. "We don't want this to get infected or reopen... but you'll live," He flashed her the same cheeky smile he had when they were flirting on the Dantooine plains, the same smile that warmed her to her core, her lip quivered as she glanced at his handsome features. "Can you stand ?"

"I am not an invalid Logan!"

"I know bu..." Bastila tried to stand to prove her point but the numbness in her left leg took hold and sent her toppling to the ground. Logan managed to catch her just in time. As he held her he looked into her beautifully blue eyes and smiled. "It appears you are wrong miss Shan" Bastila blushed, the look on his face made her melt. Her bottom lip was quivering as there eyes locked together. Logan was truly fascinated by those kissable lips, his lashes were flitting between her eyes and her lips, as he was finding himself equally enamoured both. His left hand slowly moved, Bastila was fully aware of it, but did nothing to stop it. His warm skin arrived at her neck, soon his hand found its way under her hair. She followed suit as her hands slid along his chest and eventually found their resting place at the back of his neck.

"OK so maybe I am... temporally incapacitated, now can we get back to business?"

"Your the boss." Logan lifted her up and carried her over to the terminal, this time it wanted to know the three primary life giving seeds. "Easy." He muttered and typed in the correct answers, they then heard the main door open. He went to lift her up and carry her to there destination but she had regained feeling in her leg and could walk on her own. Besides, she didn't want to give him the wrong impression.

"Its OK now thank you, I can walk by my self."

"All right, but if you ever want to be swept off your feet again, you only have to ask." He said the last part with a twinkle in his eye as he knew his statement would have the desired effect.

"Swept of my f...? I did not ask you to lift me up you insufferable nerf herder!"

"I do not herd nerf's." He coolly replied as she charged past him.

Both jedi entered the newly opened room in silence, taken aback by what they saw, the star map was there and as they approached it it opened up and showed a clear picture of the galaxy.

"This... this must be what Revan and Malak were searching for...this must be where there journey down the dark side began." Bastila gasped, slightly star struck by what she witnessed and by the power she felt.

"So... is it some type of map?"

"Yes, but it seems to be incomplete..." Bastila trailed.

"Yeah, but that's Kashyyyk. And here's Dantooine, Korriban, Mannan, and Tatooine. Those are the only planets though." A thought struck him. "Those planets must have Star Maps as well, since they're the only ones this Star Map shows."

"I was thinking that too... why else would they be on the map? We should tell the Council about this immediately," Bastila suggested. Both jedi turned and began to walk toward the exit to begin there journey back towards the jedi enclave.


	3. Chapter 3

At the enclave...

Master Vandar Tokare felt Logan and Bastila arrive in the enclave long before they made there way to the council chambers. He also felt they had been successful in their search in the ruins long before he spoke to them. Vandar was a very powerful jedi, he had been the head of the enclave on Dantooine for years. He held a seat on the jedi high council and the jedi council of the training academy for well over 100 years, he was one of the most respected and revered masters of the order. His connection to the force surpassed most masters, his wisdom and his skills within the force were legendary. However he realised his own powers would soon be dwarfed by the man walking towards him now. The man who's aura shone so bright it was almost blinding. This frightened his close friend and fellow jedi master, Vrook Lamar, who feared he would follow Revan's path and could easily destroy the jedi if he wanted But Vandar, he felt differently, when he looked upon this young man, he saw the saviour of the jedi and the saviour of the galaxy."Ah, I see you have returned to us safely young padawan's! Did you find what you were looking for?"

"We did master Vandar." Bastila said with a bow, Logan nodded his head as a sign of respect to Vandar and Zhar but he felt respect should be earned and he would not give it out freely. Master Dorak noticed this and all though he felt it wasn't the proper way to address the jedi council, he couldn't help but admire the young man's conviction.

"We found an ancient star map but it was incomplete." Logan continued. "it showed us five different worlds and we think that other parts of this map will be on these worlds."

"You have done well padawan's." Vandar replied. "Go and get some rest, the council will discuss what you discovered, we shall speak of this more tomorrow." Logan and Bastila walked out of the council chambers and headed to the Ebon Hawk. Bastila could feel the unease coming from the male jedi and wondered what he was thinking.

"Is something troubling you Logan?"

"I am just thinking about this bond we share..."

"What about it?" Logan hesitated slightly, he took a deep breath and exhaled, his breath steaming in the night air. He then motioned for Bastila to follow him to a bench, no one was around at this time, there was a slight breeze in the air and the stars were out, it really was a beautiful night.

Logan waited until they were both sat on the bench before looking directly at Bastila and speaking."What do you know of force bonding Bastila?"

"Not much I am afraid," she admitted while rubbing her hands together to keep warm. "I do know that a bond can usually form between a master and an apprentice, or two people strong in the force but it is not common and I have never heard of a bond with the strength ours has...Why?"

"I have been studying these bonds, and I have found that this may have some interesting effects."

"What do you mean?" She was now quite curious about what he had discovered.

"As you know we can share dreams and visions, but with a bond such as ours it appears we may be able to share other things as well."

"What other things?"

"Thoughts, feelings, with practice we could learn to communicate through the bond. We may be able to share force techniques and other skills, and also we will unconsciously draw on each others powers, increasing our connection with the force." He noticed the almost disturbed look on Bastila's face at his revelation Logan diverted his gaze from her eyes and looked down towards the ground before continuing "But if you want we could just shut out each others thoughts and not use the bond." Bastila felt guilty at Logan's last sentence, her reaction had obviously hurt his feelings. She was surprised that he seemed to like being bonded to her.

"No no … I am sorry its just I am not used to having such an..." Bastila was hesitant to finish the sentence. If she opened up he would probably make an inappropriate joke or laugh at her, but it tumbled out before she could stop it. "... Intimate connection with someone." she thought he was going to laugh at her after what she just said, but all she felt were warm feelings from him, magnified by their bond, when she looked up she saw an equally warm smile with emerald eyes and then he replied.

"Me neither." Logan noticed Bastila shivering. "Are you cold?" She nodded, her teeth chattering. "I shall be back in a minuet, Logan rushed into his ship to look for a coat for Bastila. It wasn't until he got onto the Ebon Hawk that he realised he was freezing as well, the padawan robes he wore, while flexible, were not warm. He was also missing a sleeve which didn't exactly help. He quietly tiptoed through the ship, sensing everyone was asleep he did not want to wake them. He got to his clothing locker, grabbed his padawan cloak and flung it on. He looked to see what other coats he had to give to Bastila, he couldn't see anything suitable for a woman so instead he just grabbed his trusty red leather jacket. When he got outside he handed the jacket to Bastila,who gratefully smiled and then quickly threw it on. while it was Tailored to fit Logan perfectly, it engulfed Bastila. As she pulled it closer she could smell Logan's scent on the jacket. It brought a smile to her face as she took another sniff, she didn't know why but she loved the way he smelt. "We should take a look at that wrist." He said pointing to her right arm as he settled down on the left of her.

"Oh, OK, but it really doesn't hurt any more." She replied handing him the wrist wrapped in the arm of his tunic.

"Perhaps... but..." He continued as he gently took hold of her hand and carefully began to remove the makeshift bandage. "You cant be too careful." When he managed to get the fabric of her wrist Bastila was surprised at what she saw, the wound had almost completely healed. It looked slightly red and it had scabbed over but she had never witnessed anyone other than masters be able to use the force to heal someone so effectively. But Logan looked disappointed with his efforts, he placed his hand over the wound, concentration etched on his face, as he used the force to completely heal the wound. "There" He said with a smile. Bastila was amazed at what she saw. The wound had completely healed, not leaving any evidence that she had been shot in the wrist not 2 hours before, not even a hint of a scar.

"Thank you" she murmured, obviously shocked at his skill with the healing technique.

He looked into her blue eyes and smiled, lifting up her hand, and brushing his soft lips against the flawless skin on her wrist, an action that sent bolts of energy coursing through Bastila like a current. He then stood up and whispered into her ear, he was so close she could feel his warm breath dancing on her neck. "Any time Bastila, goodnight." He left her sitting there, almost over come with a feeling she had never before experienced, she was desperate to feel his soft lips against her skin again and to feel his face so close to hers like she had not a moment before.

"_BASTILA WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU ARE A JEDI!" S_he told herself. As she sat there fighting the feelings that were threatening to erupt within her she recited the first line of the jedi code in her head over and over again.

"T_here is no emotion, there is no emotion, there is no emotion, there is no emotion, there is no emotion, there is no emotion, there is no emotion, there is no emotion there is no emotion, there is no emotion,there is no emotion, there is no emotion, there is no emotion, there is no emotion..."_


	4. Chapter 4

On the Ebon Hawk...

_He could feel power, unbridled, not dark, not light, yet both there at the same time. Like a clear pool of crystal water, yet under the surface you could see the storm brewing. The whirlwind of emotions just under the surface, not tainting every thought, just there. How was this possible? Emotions fuelling every action, the darkness kept from consuming the mind by force of will alone. It was everywhere. _

_A tall figure stood at the head of the bridge looking out of the observation window. He seemed oblivious to the chaos around him, this was the source of the power. It could only be Revan. The jedi strike team were busy dealing with Revan's followers, unable to attack. A republic solider saw his chance, Revan didn't know he was behind him. He could kill the Dark Lord of the Sith and end the civil war with one shot from his blaster. It was now or never. Revan waited until the last possible moment before turning to defend himself. It was almost as if he was giving the soldier a chance to turn away but the soldier didn't take the lifeline, instead he died. Just before the republic soldier could fire his shot Revan turned. His hand stretched out and grabbed the air in front of him, as he did this the soldier dropped the blaster, his hands clawed at his throat, it was as if someone was strangling him. He was lifted into the air, a meter above the ground. Revan slowly walked towards him, his fingers getting closer together every second, increasing the man's pain. His neck was bleeding from clawing at the invisible fist round his throat and he was couching up blood, Revan decided to put him out of his misery and closed his fist together, breaking the man's neck, with a flick of a wrist he tossed the man's body to the side and then he watched as four jedi made there way towards him, lightsaber's drawn ready to do battle. Revan couldn't believe the arrogance of the jedi that stood before him, thinking that by killing him they would be serving the greater good, if only they knew the truth. _

"_YOU CANNOT WIN REVAN!" A young female voice cried out as they stepped closer towards him. He knew that wasn't the case... yet... something stirred within him... something in her eyes... something in her voice... he recognised her... he felt something... he felt something for her... He loved her? _

_Revan's crimson blade sprung to life with a snap hiss, he swung it expertly a few times and lifted it to his left shoulder and parallel to the floor. Two of the jedi took a step back after he did this._

"_Master, he is using form VII juyo! How... how can we beat him?" The young knight was right. Revan was the only living force user in the galaxy to master this form, it required a mastery of all other 6 forms and was the deadliest of all of the lightsaber forms. The jedi naturally avoided this style as it required the user to draw on their emotion and have a particular enjoyment of the battle._

"T_rust in the force and we shall prevail Sammie!" The master said to his old apprentice. An older male knight circled Revan slowly, Dannil Jorn had a very strong connection with the force. Many jedi considered his skills with a lightsaber the finest in the academy on Dantooine, he was hand picked by the masters to go on this mission and now it was time. The greatest test of his skills so far, 28 years of training, everything he had ever done, all led him to this point. Dannil's green lightsaber cast a light glow against his face, he held his lightsaber low in his right hand and pointed it down towards Revan, the curved hilt of his lightsaber gave him better blade control, especially as he favoured one handed techniques._

"_I see you have skill with a lightsaber, jedi, but it is of no consequence. I cannot allow you to interfere with my plans. Yield, there is no need for more bloodshed." The electrically modified voice of Revan spoke as he lowered his lightsaber._

"Y_ou must be truly terrified to beg for your life so, SITH!" Dannil barked, gaining more confidence and moving in slowly._

"_I see the jedi are breeding them more ignorant these days... very well if you truly wish a fight lets get this over with... jedi!" And with a small sigh Revan lifted his lightsaber and ran at Dannil at an __inhuman speed . The jedi brought his blade up just in time to parry the first, he kept his blade high, and began to push forward with a quick flurry. This turned out to be a foolish move. His green blade slashed at Revan's midsection but was quickly smacked away by his crimson blade, Dannil soon found out his quick strikes and balanced footwork would not help against, power, speed, skill, cunning, instinct and experience._

_The contrast of red and green lit up the room, both blades were humming in harmony as this deadly dance was drawing to a close. Dannil was getting desperate and was falling into Revan's trap. He could see an opening on Revan's right and thrust his blade into Revan's side with all his might. This had gone just as Revan had wanted it to, he was already on the move when the jedi had attacked, twisting just enough to avoid the massive blow and quickly bringing his blade round, swiping at Dannil's legs. Dannil jumped over the blade and tried to land a kick on Revan's chest but the dark lord was ready. Revan simply grabbed his leg and threw him to the floor, the impact knocking him cold. The other jedi had gotten over the shock of what they had just witnessed and were now charging to defend there brethren The masters blue blade struck first, aiming for its enemies neck instead it hit nothing but air. However he soon realised Revan was coming round for a counter attack. Only the masters unbelievable reflexes stopped him having his entire arm severed above the elbow._

"_AAAAAARRRRRR!" The jedi master screamed as the crimson blade bit deep into his flesh below the shoulder, Revan then kicked him squarely in the chest and sent him crashing to the ground._

"_MASTER!" Sammie yelped and threw himself at the sith lord in a state of fury. He pressed hard, his blue sabre a blur. His attacks were extremely aggressive, fuelled by his hatred of the sith lord. He lasted longer than Revan expected but in the end he was simply outclassed. Sammie snarled as his lightsaber was deadlocked with Revan's. He couldn't hold on any longer but he knew he was dead if he let go. Revan was getting annoyed with this situation. He couldn't believe the council had sent a jedi as week as this to come to kill him, surely they understood they were sending him to his death? Revan reached forward, grabbed the hilt of Sammie's lightsaber and thrust it into his face, shattering his nose and knocking him out. Bastila stayed back, she didn't want to rush into this, she knew if she did she would end up defeated. Revan turned to her, lowering his blade and deactivating it._

"S_urrender, I have no desire to kill you." The voice of Revan offered, not even breathing hard after the battle._

"_THE FORCE FIGHTS WITH ME!" Bastila yelled, she would rather become one with the force than a servant of the dark side, that was an easy choice for her._

"S_o be it, it looks like I shall have to beat some sense into you then." As Revan ignited his lightsaber for the last time he felt a disturbance, his feelings were confirmed by the look on the young padawan's face. He turned to the observation window to see what she was looking at, and there he saw a barrage of missiles heading straight towards them, it was going to rip them all to shreds. Quickly he dropped his lightsaber and used the force to create a barrier around the ship to buffer most of the impact. Bastila had never seen anything like it, the force aura this man was projecting at this moment was completely and utterly blinding, it was like staring into the heart of the force itself._

_Revan knew he couldn't keep this up for much longer, he tried to use the force to close the outer shield hoping to protect them from more of the blast. He turned to see the other jedi regaining consciousness but Bastila was just standing there. _

_"RUN!...I...I...CANT...HOLD...IT...ANY...LONGER!" He screamed at the jedi. Revan took one last look at Bastila. She had a look of absolute fear in her eyes and at that moment he would of gladly sacrificed himself to save her. "RUN YOU FOOL!" As Revan said those words he saw a conduit overheating next to Bastila. It was about to explode, it would rip her it two if he didn't do something. With that thought Revan led go of the massive force barrier he was holding, willing letting the missiles destroy his ship. He leapt over to Bastila, grabbed her and twisted, shielding her from the impact and taking it himself. The explosion as the ship was being destroyed sent them spiralling to the deck. Consciousness slowly returned to Bastila, however she soon became fully alert. She quickly realised what had happened, Revan had save her life, she looked around and saw the other jedi dead. The missiles that Revan had been protecting them all from killed the jedi as he let them destroy his ship. He let them die to save her! HER? As she sat there piecing together what had just happened she saw him. He was lying under a pile of rubble, his blood was everywhere, his robes were torn but he was alive, barely. She crawled over to him and removed the rubble. She could hear him gasping for breath. Was he trying to say something? She gasped now as she herd him speak. "Bastilaaa..."_

_How did he know her name? After a pause she moved closer and replied. "I am here"_

"_Bastila...I...l...bas...I..."_

"Y_es? You can tell me"_

"_I...love...you..."_

_And with that Revan was silent. Bastila moved even closer, her hands going to his head and removing the mask that had brought fear into the hearts of so many. What she saw brought a look of complete and utter shock to her face and then everything went black._

Logan shot up in his bunk, he was lathered in sweat, Panting heavily.

"What the fuck?" He muttered to himself as he raked his fingers through his thick jet black locks. He stumbled out of bed and threw on a pair of loose fitting black bottoms. It was about 2 am standard time and he could sense everyone was still asleep. Deciding he smelt like the ass of a kath hound he plodded over to the refresher to get clean.

Bastila was pacing around in her chambers trying to work out what to do, she had a similar vision to that before, but never with such... clarity. She had never felt the thoughts of Revan before either. She was dressed in a simple sleeveless white nightdress, it accented her breasts (unintentionally) and floated down just past her knees, her long auburn hair tumbled past her shoulders. It was 2.25 am standard time and she sensed everyone other than Logan was asleep. She decided to get some caffa other wise she would ware a hole in the ship.

Bastila had just settled down in the main hold with a cup of caffa when she saw Logan walk out of the refresher. His body was wet, he had his bottoms on but they were clinging to his skin, leaving very little to the imagination. He was rubbing his head with a towel, his wet hair fell just past his ears and just above his shoulders. She couldn't take her eyes of his body. It looked like it had been perfectly chiselled by a sculpture. His skin was a gorgeous colour, naturally pale yet tanned by the sun. He bore the scars of many battles, yet non detracted from his over all attractiveness. If anything they made him seem more real, more touchable. He had the most handsome face she had ever seen, his face was perfectly proportioned, he had a strong, masculine jaw, his lips always captivated her when he talked, he could speak with such passion, but then come up with something silly and childish just to get her frustrated, A thin, inch-long scar ran down from the outside corner of his right eye, his slightly ivory skin tone combined with his dark hair and eyebrows made him stand out from the crowd. He had unbelievably beautiful eyes, they were an electrifying and intense green, yet they were always warm, inviting, comforting, passionate and loving. They were all qualities that made him look very intense and smouldering. He had such an air of confidence about him, he was a natural leader, he was in charge, no one questioned it and he gave them no reason to question it. But he was very sensitive and surprisingly vulnerable. He would help anyone who needed it with no thought for himself, and there was one other thing she couldn't stop thinking about. His power. Bastila's heart started beating faster, especially when she noticed Logan look at her and give her an embarrassed grin.

"Sorry Bas...I didn't realise anyone was up" She held up her hand.

"No..no.. there is no need to apologise. I have only just woken up." She replied as casually as she possibly could while avoiding his gaze.

"Yes...well..I am going to put some clothes on." In a few minuets he came back with a loose black top, a pair of Gray pants and a cup of steaming caffa. "So what are you doing up at this time anyway?" She gave him a wide eyed look as if to say we share dreams you idiot.

"Oh...right... the vision."


	5. Chapter 5

In the main hold of the Ebon Hawk, 5.30 am standard time...

"...But it felt like I was Revan, I could feel his power, his feelings, his thoughts... everything." Logan and Bastila had been discussing in depth the vision they had shared for some time. Logan knew he could share some of his bond mates memories but what he had experienced a few hours ago... it didn't feel like **her** memory.

"I know what you experienced, but you must understand...with a connection to the force as strong as yours, you can sense thoughts and feelings of other beings with ease. Even faint traces of emotion, you can pick them up."

"Yes, but, Revan is dead." Bastila hesitated a moment before replying.

"Perhaps his feelings, at the end, lived on through me." Logan was silent for a moment, his mind processing the explanation Bastila had provided him with. He had no reason to doubt Bastila, and this must have been far worse for her than it was for him. After all she was there, right at the end, she held him while he died, he died to save her.

"I am sorry Bas." Logan took her hands in his as he moved closer to her. "I know this must be difficult for you, you probably don't want to think about Revan, and I am not exactly helping matters."

_"Understatement of the century!"_ She thought to herself.

Bastila sighed and squeezed his hand."It is all right, however I do think you should train some more with master Zhar before we leave." She noticed the puzzled look on Logan's face when she said this. "No I don't doubt your abilities, I just think you should learn to control your senses, especially at night. Then perhaps we wont have another incident." Logan glanced at her ice blue eyes and smiled, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He had seen his fair share of beautiful women, but he had always assumed that the kind of unbelievable, pure, natural, flawless beauty didn't exist, only in holovids. But there it was, staring him in the face.

"Would you mind telling me what your staring at?"

"Wha...Ur...nothing" Logan diverted his gaze and rubbed the back of his neck, she had caught him completely off guard. Bastila said nothing but kept her sapphire orb's pinned on his face. Logan was tempted to tell her what he had been thinking but decided it would be best not to make an arsehole out of himself, besides, he thought, she must of known how he felt about her. "I was just thinking about what the masters will have to say when we see them later."

"I don't know, I suspect they will send you, me and a master to find these maps and then hopefully we will be able to find the Star Forge and end this war." Bastila sighed, the war had taken its toll on the young jedi, she had the fate of the galaxy resting on her shoulders and she was only 19. Logan looked at Bastila and could she the worries she had.

"Bastila, I promise to do everything in my power to stop the sith." He said those words with such passion and such sincerity. She suddenly felt safer than she had ever felt. A small smile spread across her features.

"Well, I think Malak had better watch out." She mumbled. A silence had taken hold of the ship but the atmosphere was alive with passion. The two young jedi gazed into each others eyes. Bastila couldn't help herself, she needed to feel his lips against hers, she was desperate for him to kiss her. He drew her in closer and brushed his fingers against her cheek, her hands ran up his muscular arms and rested on his shoulders. He ran his thumb along her jawline while he ran his other hand through her hair. A small moan escaped Bastila's lips, the slightest touch from this man sent bolts of pleasure through her body. Her lip quivered, she had never been this intimate with anyone before, yet nothing had ever felt this right. She was afraid, she knew she wanted it but knew she wasn't allowed. She needed him. As he drew closer a voice inside her head told her she was a jedi and she recoiled quickly. " NO!... I... I am sorry I cant I am a jedi. I must go." She stood up to leave and rushed towards her quarters but before she could get there Logan grabbed her arm and pulled her in close. Bastila's feelings were in complete turmoil, she didn't know what to do, she knew what she wanted to do, she wanted him to hold her down and make love to her, but she was a jedi, and she was afraid of her emotions. "Logan I... I cant."

"Yes you can." He whispered as he drew her closer and smiled. "Yes you can." Bastila couldn't help her self any more, she had been fighting against these emotions since she first saw him on Taris. She wrapped her arms round his neck as he pushed her against the wall and planted a soft kiss on her lips. Her world exploded, all the feelings she didn't understand that were trapped within her with no release now made sense. His tongue began to caress hers and she was overrun with pleasure. She let out a soft moan as she was transported to a sensual paradise. Bastila was surprised at how natural this felt, she opened her mouth and tilted her head instinctively to try to deepen the kiss. Logan delivered what she craved for. Her senses flooded with velvet passions she could never of conceived existed, all she knew now was she wanted more. She grabbed the fabric of his clothes and pulled him in closer and he ran his hand along her waist. It began to roam and moved down as his thigh separated her legs. She soon found herself being lifted up and propped against the wall, her legs instinctively wrapped themselves around his waist. Logan's kisses began to travel from her mouth to her neck, then his teeth found her ear and Bastila let out a groan of pleasure. Her hands were intertwined with his thick locks and his began to explore her body. His hand slid up her silky thigh rolling up the nightdress she wore. Her fingers found there way under his shirt, while he began to gently caress sensitive areas of her flesh. She asked him with her eyes to kiss her again and he gladly complied. Bastila took his hands and pulled him closer so he could feel her breasts. His heart was beating so fast he nearly lost his breath but he couldn't bring himself to pull away. He kissed her again, drinking in as much pleasure as he could before they inevitably had to part for air. When they did Logan smiled as Bastila's face held a look of shock and pleasure. He couldn't help himself as he was overrun with lust and began to feverishly kiss her neck. She moaned and whispered in his ear.

"Mm... yes I can...yes..."

**The genius that is Kate Bush wrote an amazing song called Hounds of Love that captures Bastila's emotions.**

**"It's in the trees!  
It's coming!"**

**When I was a child:  
Running in the night,  
Afraid of what might be  
Hiding in the dark,  
Hiding in the street,  
And of what was following me...  
the hounds of love are hunting me  
I've always been a coward,  
And I don't know what's good for me.  
(Well) Here I go!  
It's coming for me through the trees.  
Help me, someone!  
Help me, please!  
Take my shoes off,  
And (i will) throw them in the lake,  
And I'll be  
Two steps on the water.**

**I found a fox  
Caught by dogs.  
He let me take him in my hands.  
His little heart,  
It beats so fast,  
And I'm ashamed of running away  
From nothing real-  
I just can't deal with this,  
But I'm still afraid to be this,**

**Among your hounds of loving,  
And feel your arms surrounding me.  
I've always been a coward,  
I never know what's good for me.  
Oh, here I go!  
Don't let me go!  
Hold me down!  
It's coming for me through the trees.  
Help me, darling  
Help me, please!  
Take my shoes off  
And throw them in the lake,  
And I'll be  
Two steps on the water.  
I don't know what's good for me.  
I don't know what's good for me.  
I need la la la la la yey yo yey yo  
Your love!  
Take your shoes off  
And throw them in the lake!  
Do you know what I really need?  
Do you know what I really need?  
I need la la la la la yeah! **


	6. Chapter 6

"NO!"

Bastila's ice blue orb's darted open and met with Logan's emerald eyes which held a look of concern. She was trying to purge her thoughts of any lustful cravings and desires. She couldn't believe what she had just allowed to happen. She was a jedi and as such she was denied any emotional entanglements, not to mention the feelings she had been blissfully drowning in were a strict taboo. Bastila realised the effect this man was having on her, she couldn't control these emotions while she was around him and this made her vulnerable to the dark side. Bastila quickly began to recite the beginning of the third line of the jedi code in her head as a desperate attempt fight off these urges. "_There is no passion, There is no passion, There is no passion, There is no passion, There is no passion, There is no passion, There is no passion, There is no passion, There is no passion, There is no passion, ..."_

"Bas what's wro..." Logan's worried tone was batted away as Bastila scrambled to free herself from the erotic position she was currently in.

"We shouldn't of done that... it..." As Bastila was speaking she proceeded to role down her nightdress and tried to control the flush that had spread across her cheeks. "...It was wrong" She finished. Bastila deliberately avoided Logan's gaze, however she soon found she was forced to meet it as he had moved in front of her, he held her arms above her head and forced her back against the wall. He brought his eyes directly in front of Bastila's, she forced herself not to look him in the eye for she was afraid... afraid she would give in. She scrunched her eyes shut and bit her bottom lip, Logan's grip on her arms tightened as he moved in closer, she could hear his shallow breathing and knew his heart was beating as fast as hers. He was so close now she could feel his warmth, the rising and falling of his chest. She caught his musky cent. She would not give in. His head moved to the right and their cheeks brushed together. Logan's mouth slowly brushed against the alabaster skin on Bastila's neck, skin that he had been ravaging not two minuets before. A pulsing ache began to course throughout Bastila's body as Logan's mouth slowly caressed its way to its destination. Finally, his soft lips arrived at her ear, she could feel his warm breath at her lobe and try as she might, Bastila could not suppress a soft moan of pleasure.

"It didn't feel wrong to me." He whispered, Logan then slowly preceded to turn his attention to her jawline and, taking his time, began to tenderly kiss it. Every kiss he planted on her skin sent a tingling sensation wherever it landed, Bastila was loosing control, she needed to stop this.

"I...I...we cant..." She mustered through laboured breaths, clearly staggered by the pleasure she was experiencing. Logan's tender assault on her jawline and neck continued as his powerful hands slid down her slender arms and rested on her waist. Bastila's newly free hands instinctively went to the back of his neck and her fingers began to rake through his jet black locks. "Ahh...mm...L...Logan."

"_There is no passion, There is no passion, There is no passion, There is no passion."_ "Logan...please...LOGAN!" Bastila suddenly released a massive surge of force energy at her bond-mate, enough to send him crashing into the bulkhead and spiralling to the ground.

"Arr... what... what the hell?" Logan clambered to his feet, stunned at what had just happened.

"I... I am sorry, but you wouldn't listen!"

"Listen to what, your moans of pleasure? I thought you wanted this!" Logan took a step forward as Bastila backed away.

"I don't! We cant! We are jedi!"

"you weren't putting up much resistance." He quipped with a smirk. Bastila backed away further until she hit the wall she had previously been pinned against.

"You took me by surprise!"

"You wanted me to."

"You... you just kept pressing forward!" Logan leaned in closer and smiled.

"You liked it." Bastila knew she was loosing the argument and looked up at his face. Logan's lips were still moist from her kisses and they were begging to be kissed again. She dragged her eyes away from his lips and brought her grey, blue irises up to meet his smouldering jade depths. When she looked into his eyes she saw the emotions that were simmering within, lust, desire, craving, longing, hope. She had to resist, to be strong... for both of them.

"If you think that I am just going to abandon a life time of teachings, then you are wrong!" She began, her resolve had hardened once more. "I made a mistake... I had a moment of weakness, but I assure you my emotions are firmly in check once more!" She pushed passed him and straightened up, making sure he knew where she stood on the matter. "This wont be happening again, and we wont be speaking about it again either... we need to act with discretion, we better hope no one gets suspicious and starts gossiping about our... little encounter."

And with that she left Logan standing there with a mixture of feelings, disappointment, he knew Bastila held the jedi teachings as sacred and was sure she would not be breaking the code again any time soon, also he wasn't used to rejection. Most women usually threw themselves at him, but she was different, this was something he was intrigued by. Desire, he wanted her badly, more than he had wanted any woman. He could still taste her on his lips, he could still smell her on his skin, it was like someone had given him the most intoxicating drug and then prematurely snatched it away from him, leaving him desperate for another fix. Thrill, he knew he wanted her, he knew she wanted him, yet she had denied him, he liked a challenge and she was definitely the most pleasurable of challenges. Yes, the thrill of the chase was going to be fun. He licked his lips and smiled, he needed a cold shower before he met with the council.


	7. Chapter 7

Logan walked out of the supply shop next to the jedi academy, he held three pieces of fabric in his hands as well as other basic supplies. He and Bastila had visited the jedi Council, both expecting to be sent with a master to track down the ancient Star Maps. Instead the Council had asked that Logan, Bastila, and the rest of their companions continue the search for the rest of the Star Maps without a senior jedi,. They summarised it would be to dangerous to send someone to high profile.

"Who_ cold be more high profile than the poster girl for the jedi and the key to the war effort !"_ Logan thought to himself, he was uneasy with this whole situation. He knew the council was hiding something from him. The Council felt that if they could find the maps, then they could find a way to stop Malak and his limitless supply Sith soldiers, and Logan was prepared to do anything to stop Malak. As he boarded the Ebon Hawk he suddenly felt dread wash over him, he felt as if he was drawing closer to a terrible secret that was never meant to be discovered. He shrugged of those feelings, dismissing it completely. Logan plodded through the corridors of his ship and placed the equipment down in the cargo hold, he would sort it out later. First he needed to plot a course on the galaxy map so their quest could begin.

As Logan was heading towards the cockpit he was stopped abruptly by a large hand on his chest, he followed the hand to the face of its owner and gave an irritated sigh when he found it to be Carth's. "_God-dammit, what's wrong with him now?" _"What's wrong Carth?" Logan asked, the irritation seeping through in his voice. Carth took his hand of Logan's chest and moved in front of him, he was also irritated and was about to make sure Logan knew just how irritated he was.

"What's wrong? Oh nothing really, apart from the fact I have been left out of every major decision made regarding us while we have been on this planet! I don't like being left out of the loop!" Logan squared up to the older man, making sure he knew intimidation would not work.

"Sarcasm is very unbecoming on a man like you Carth."

"You wanna be smart do you? Fine so long as I get some questions answered." Carth was now beginning to get very irritated.

"What do you want to know?"

"For one thing, I want to know what the jedi Council said to you. They pulled you in there and refused to tell me a thing about it."

"Why would any thing the jedi do be your concern?" Logan replied hesitantly, unsure if he was supposed to mention the bond he and Bastila shared to anyone.

"N..not my concern? Uh, I'm sorry... aren't I a part of this mission? The jedi may be in charge, but I'm risking all the same things you are!" Logan shifted, he was beginning to get angry and wanted to end the conversation.

"Carth, your paranoia is beginning to anger me."

"You can be angry about whatever you like. What I'm angry about is being kept in the dark!" What the jedi and the republic soldier didn't realise was that most of the crew had gathered, waiting to see how this heated conversation would play out. "I may not know much about the jedi, but I do know they aren't famous for taking on old padawan's and sending them on dangerous assignments. How can you lead this mission when you probably cant even control your own powers?" Carth flailed his arms in exasperation. "You're a neophyte Padawan who's been saddled with the responsibility of tracking down these Star Maps. WHY?...THATS NOT NORMAL!"

"I have done pretty well this far!" Logan was hurt that Carth would accuse him of being incapable to lead, he could feel his anger boiling up inside of him. "And I am a better leader then you will ever be!" Carth's frustration simmered over the surface, he couldn't hold it in any longer. His fist clenched and before he knew what he was doing it was sailing through the air, its destination, Logan's face. Before Carth could land his punch, Logan's hand came up at an inhuman speed, he grabbed Carth's wrist and twisted in at a unnatural angle then he used the back of his free hand to smack him across the face, knocking him to the floor. Carth looked up and saw the anger in the young man's eyes, his nostrils flared, his fists clenched and his eyes had turned into hard emerald flints. Carth realised that Logan could of easily snuffed his life out, fear quickly flashed in Carth's eyes. Logan stood there looking down at the republic soldier, trying to resist the urge to use the force to choke the life from him. He had never felt anger like this before. Who was he to question his power? Carth had no idea of how powerful he was, what gave him the right to question his authority? "_I should teach him a lesson, I should show him how powerful I am!"_ Logan just stood there battling with his emotions.

"Go on! kick him kid! Beat the crap out of him! Show him who he's messing with!" Canderous Ordo, a gruff Mandalorian spoke up, he and Carth had instantly disliked each other, which was no big surprise as each had fought on opposing sides during the Mandalorian Wars.

"I...I shouldn't... its not the jedi way." Logan's dark brows furrowed in confusion, he needed to vent his anger.

"He questions your authority, makes you appear weak in front of your crew. Are you going to let him get away with that? Why not use him to set an example." Logan could see the logic behind the Mandalorian's reasoning, but he wasn't a cruel man, he didn't beat people to set an example, it wasn't his way, yet... he deserved it...Carth had made him look a fool, and he wanted payback.

"_There is no emotion ,There is no emotion, There is no emotion, There is no emotion, There is no emotion, There is no emotion, There is no emotion, There is no emotion, There is no emotion, There is no emotion, There is no emotion, There is no emotion, There is no emotion, There is no emotion, There is no emotion, There IS emotion, I feel it all the time, I felt joy and relief when I saved Juhani from the dark side. Does the code mean I was not supposed to feel that? I felt satisfaction when I cut down that Mandalorian scum who murdered that farmers daughter. He deserved it, does the fact that I felt satisfaction mean I am on the path of the dark side? I felt so many emotions when I kissed Bastila. The jedi code says there is no emotion, emotional attachments lead to inner turmoil. No passion, the jedi say passion may lead to jealousy, greed, anger, hate. All of these feelings are supposed to lead you down the path of the dark side, but I don't want to give up experiencing all life has to offer, what about love? That pure emotion cannot be tainted by the dark side as well can it? I have never heard of a Sith falling in love. If a truly evil person cannot experience love surely that means it is an emotion preserved for the good. It IS a good emotion, so why is it forbidden to me? Because the jedi fear the passions that go hand in hand with this emotion, they fear it can only lead to the dark side! But the emotions and passions I felt when I kissed Bastila were so right. If feeling what I felt when I kissed her means I am on the the path of the dark side...then why am I resisting?" _Bastila felt Logan's surge of emotions through their bond and began to panic, she felt his anger, shock, resentment, confusion.

"_By the force, does he know?" _She stood up quickly and felt her stomach drop. She had to make sure her secret was safe. Bastila rushed out of her quarters and found him stood over a bloody nosed Carth, he was literally shaking with anger. She cold feel his anger frothing over the surface and quickly pushed past Canderous and placed a hand on his shoulder. Logan turned and found Bastila staring at him. His anger began to melt away as soon as he looked into her ice blue oceans. "Logan, don t do this. You are a good man. Don t give in to it." She whispered, Bastila had never seen him loose control like this before. She was desperately worried and needed to make sure he was all right. She didn't want to loose him. "Come with me." Bastila's hand slid down Logan's arm until it found his hand. He looked up at her and nodded as he tried to shake of the remnants of the anger. She led him out of the room and back to her quarters.

"Thank you Bastila, I...I don't know what I would of done if you hadn't shown up." Logan lowered his head in shame, he began to realise how close he had just been to killing his friend.

"What happened?" She asked, folding her arms as he sat down on her bunk.

"He... he just got me so angry! After everything I have done, he still doesn't trust me! The moment I awoke on Taris I did my duty, I honoured my oath, to the Republic...to you." Bastila's cheeks flushed as his smoking jade pools raised and he poured his gaze into her. "I have saved his life many times, I have given him no reason to doubt me, every question he has asked I have answered honestly! Then he has the gall to say I cant handle the responsibility of command!"

"So then you hit him?"

"No...no he...tried to hit me, I defended my self. I couldn't believe he would try to hit me! I was so angry, but I had it under control... but then Canderous, he told me to make an example out of him."

Logan let out a soft chuckle. "I told him it wasn't the jedi way. I was going to leave it but..." Logan's stare hardened and Bastila shifted under his gaze. "Bastila what do you think about love?" She was completely floored by the question.

"W..what? Why would you ask such a thing?"

"I didn't realise I needed a reason, I just want to know what your opinions are on love... you must of loved your parents right?" A sad smile slowly appeared across Bastila's face. Logan couldn't decide if it was regret or longing in her eyes, when he felt her through their bond he realised it was both. After a long pause Logan felt her again through their bond, she was thinking about her father... when he felt her pain he had to stop himself from pulling her in close and holding her.

"You and your father were close?" Bastila snapped back into reality and her blue eyes shone at the memory of her father. Her face suddenly flooded with warmth. And she smiled as images of her father swam in her mind.

"I loved him. He was kind and gentle, and doted on me... My mother... "

"You didn't get on with her?" The colour in Bastila's eyes seemed to change from bright blue, like the oceans of Mannan, to stormy grey, like the skies of Kamino.

"No, I didn't," she said with a sigh. "I was only a little girl when I left, but I was old enough to resent her and the way she treated my father. She pushed him into treasure hunting and whittled away his entire fortune... I think she was relieved to give me away to the jedi... but my father was heartbroken." Logan knew the order discouraged personal attachments but he hoped she was still in contact with her father.

"Do you still see your father sometimes?" She glanced down into his emerald eyes and managed a sad smile.

"No," she said softly. "I haven't seen either of my parents since I joined the Order."

"Why?" He was heart broken for her, how could the jedi cause her so much pain? She took a long breath before giving her reply.

"The gift of the Force comes with a high cost, sacrifice of one's emotional attachments is one of the prices a jedi must be willing to pay. The alternative is to fall prey to the dark side." His dark brows furrowed, he didn't want to hear Bastila's answer but he needed to.

"Are you saying you're not allowed to love anyone?" After another long pause he herd a shaky breath escape her lips.

"Emotional entanglements can be dangerous." she stated, she spoke in a flat tone and Logan was sure she probably read this answer out of a book. "They can impair rational thought; they can lead to outbursts of uncontrolled emotion. A jedi must be above such things; don't you see?"

"Even love?" Logan almost whispered, his eyes rose to meet hers once more. Bastila tore her eyes away.

"Even love can lead to folly...I hope you will come to understand this once you've spent more time in the Order."

"You don't seem to be convinced." He stood up and stepped towards her, bearing his emerald gems into her grey, blue oceans. Her lip quivered, then she sighed and took a step back.

"Even a jedi cannot always control the feelings of the heart. We must do our best to guard against it. But... some sacrifices are harder than others." Logan stood there for a moment, then gave Bastila a slight smile and left her room, leaving her with a mixture of feelings, fear, Logan had almost given in to anger and could of killed Carth if he wanted to, she would have to watch him more closely. Confusion, why did he ask her about love? Disappointment, why didn't she let him kiss her?

Logan traipsed towards the cockpit, he needed to apologise to Carth, he didn't like bad blood aboard his ship and this needed to be sorted out. Carth was sat in the pilots chair, rubbing a swollen nose, Logan didn't know how to tactfully apologise to the soldier, also he wasn't comfortable with making the first move on this issue, so he decided to jump in with both feet.

"We didn't end our last discussion too well." he quipped as he leaned against the door frame. The pilots seat slowly swivelled round to face the young jedi as Carth let out a grunt of laughter.

"Ha! You could say that again... you dammed near broke my nose!" Logan's face broke into a smile, he then realised he came close to breaking more than his nose and his face fell.

"Carth I ju..." Carth held up a hand and Logan's apology was abruptly halted.

"No I am the one who needs to say sorry. I... I just don't trust easily, and with good reason."

"I am not going to betray you Carth... I am not Saul." Logan said softly. This provoked a reluctant sigh from Carth.

"I... I know, just promise me one thing... when we get those Sith bastards... we make them pay."

"Don't worry my friend, I intend to." Satisfied with his conversation with Carth Logan punched some coordinates into the Galaxy Map and headed to the cargo hold, it was going to be a long trip and he needed to prepare.

A few hours later and Logan had constructed his personal jedi outfit. He got the idea on using thin strips of cortosis and applying them to his robes after he realised the Padawan robes the jedi had provided him with were just to... flimsy. He needed to be able to move freely so any thick types of armour were out of the question. The shop keeper had offered to construct this outfit for him... for a price of course... but Logan had set himself back enough credits buying the components he needed, besides, he trusted his own hands more than the shop keepers. The outfit consisted of a black shirt with long sleeves. A charcoal leather tunic, black pants with various compartments, two metal vambraces which strapped to each wrist. One contained an extension cable, he didn't know weather he was going to fall of the side of a cliff, he liked to have a life line ready. The other contained a hidden blade. The exposed portions of the outfit had the dark grey cortosis strips weaved into them. Logan liked to be prepared. To top it all of he had splashed out on a light charcoal cloak that had taken his fancy.

The Ebon Hawk was still a while away from its destination and there was something else the young jedi wanted to do. While on Dantooine Logan had explored a force sensitive cave that had been bristling with powerful crystals suitable to be used in lightsaber construction. Logan liked to be prepared, and he knew it was wise to have more than one weapon handy. While he was on Dantooine, he had picked up many other lightsaber's.

The Mandalorian leader who had been terrorising the locals liked to collect lightsaber's, and would of taken Logan's as well, however things did not work out well for the Mandalorian as Logan came into possession of three more lightsaber's after taking them from his dead body. While exploring the ruins on Dantooine Logan and Bastila stumbled upon the body of the jedi Nemo, Logan said a prayer through the force for him and collected his lightsaber.

The young jedi had been studying ancient jedi passages while on Dantooine and had found that someone skilled in lightsaber creation did not need to use a work bench, they could create their weapon using the force, and ultimately the weapon would be better for it, however if the emotions while creating the weapon were extreme, for example hate, then this weapon would always respond more to the dark side.

Logan had stripped the four spare lightsaber's down to their components and placed every crystal he had collected out in front of him. He was going to create one perfect lightsaber using the force. He sat cross legged in the cargo hold, preparing himself. One of the two crystals he had decided to use in this lightsaber was the Kasha crystal. He had found this on the body of the Mandalorian he killed. This type of crystal was traditionally used by the Cerean race as a meditation tool. They were used to clear the mind of distractions in order to create a perfect environment for meditation. Patterns were scribed on each face of the crystal to harness its full energy potential, and when used in lightsaber creation it helped clear the wielder's mind of distractions, even during tense combat. This was something Logan found very appealing. The second crystal that Logan had decided to use in his lightsaber was a Eralam crystal. This crystal was very rare and produced a very clear, superior lightsaber beam.

While searching in the force sensitive cave Logan had come across a crystal that would be a perfect colour for his lightsaber. The large crystal was a pure jade green colour, as unique as his eyes.

Logan placed a deflection emitter on the floor by the side of his chosen crystals. The blade emitter was designed especially for generating a blade well-suited for deflecting incoming blaster bolts.

The final component he added to the pile was a fencing emitter, this was used mainly for heightening the blade's usefulness when parrying enemy attacks. The outer cases of the spare lightsaber's were placed into a pile.

Logan closed his eyes and focused. He stripped away the dead metal of the ship and blotted out the beings, his attention was completely devoted to the lightsaber.

The hilts of the spare lightsaber's began to float, the metal started to knot together, the twists and turns gave the new hilt a look of a sculpture of old oak. The mechanisms went inside the hilt, the power cell, the emitter matrix, then the blade emitter, the inert power insulator. Next the focusing lenses. As Logan was working on his lightsaber, his thoughts began to drift towards Bastila, he remembered the sadness in her eyes when she told him jedi weren't allowed to love, he remembered the desire in her eyes when he kissed her the day before. The colour crystal went next.

_"Focus Logan.. focus! This blade needs to be perfect. Now begin to wrap the case around the crystals...slowly... the case must not distort the crystals...if Bastila doesn't believe in emotional attachments then why did she kiss me? Why wouldn't the jedi let her see her father?she was so sad... maybe I can get I touch with her father for her... where is she from... Talravin? I would do anything to see the look of joy on her face because of being reunited with her father..."_ The more emotions Logan was pouring into his work the more it began to affect the weapon.

"_Slowly Logan... SLOWLY! The pommel cap must be in perfect alignment with the crystals .. if not the blade will never activate...she is so beautiful... and she doesn't even know it... I wonder if she is thinking about me... I was so angry before, and one look in her eyes and it all melted away..." _

Logan had no idea how long he had been working on his weapon for. Try as he might, he couldn't help but think about Bastila, She occupied most of his thoughts and there was nothing he could do about it, there was nothing he wanted to do about it. He was obsessed with her.

_T_he only thing left to do was to bind the weapon together using the force. As Logan used the force to seal the sabre, so many emotions were coursing through him... "\p_assion, desire, sympathy, lust, longing, caring, passion, desire, sympathy, lust, longing, caring, passion, desire, sympathy, lust, longing, caring, passion, desire, sympathy, lust, longing, caring, Bastila... LOVE?" _

As soon as the last piece clicked into place a burst of silver light pulsed out of the blade and it sent Logan flying into the plasteel cylinders at the back of the cargo hold.

He stood slowly and walked towards the weapon he had just created. He could feel the power emanating from it. The case was a light silver colour, the metal had been twisted and worked to look like the bark of an old oak tree. There was a large space that fitted his grip perfectly, he knew it would before he even touched it. Logan bent down slowly... his hand reached out... his fingers grazed the hilt of the blade and as soon as he touched it he felt it. Bastila. This weapon was unlike anything he had ever felt. He had poured his feelings for her into the lightsaber and as he held it his emotions pulsed through him. He fingered the activation button and slowly pressed down. When he did he jumped back. A huge blade shot out, it jumped to life with a crackling snap hiss. It was the most intoxicating green, looking at the blade was like looking into the eyes of desire itself. Logan swung it expertly a few times, as he did he smiled, he realised this experiment had been a success, he had captured his own desire and turned it into an instrument of light. As he held this weapon he knew his feelings for Bastila pulsed through it, and as a consequence he was sure it would act as a beacon of light and protect him against the dark side.

Logan sensed they were nearing their destination and decided it would be best to get some sleep. He got the feeling Tatooine was going to be a challenge.


	8. Chapter 8

Logan was turbulent in his bunk, he knew he was about to have another vision, even though he had not yet fully drifted into the realm of dreams. Try as he might, Logan couldn't escape the feeling that dreaming about his sworn enemies ace in the hole was too convenient. Slowly, the young jedi's breathing began to slow and all conscious thought began to evaporate.

Logan felt a blistering heat scorch his skin, he opened his eyes and there he saw the Dune Sea of Tatooine in all its baron glory, the sand stretched out as far as the eye could see. He was suddenly transported to a cave which provided merciful shade, however Logan soon realised why he was here. The entrance to the cave began to move further away and quickly darkness enveloped him. The hairs on the jedi's neck began to spike as a sinister voice whispered in the darkness and everything turned cold. The atmosphere in this cave seemed even darker than in the ruins on Dantooine, evil seemed to be bred in the bone. He moved forward and widened his eyes as he tried to pierce the dark veil that shrouded his vision, then he saw it. The Star Map began to open and emitted a silvery blue glow. Logan looked into the light, assuming this would be the end of his vision, however everything suddenly went black.

_A wave of anger swept through the ship and clearly had everyone on edge, it was barley contained, threatening to erupt, and if it did it would have devastating consequences for all caught in its path._

_A lone figure stood at the head of the bridge, he was looking out of the observation window at the planet known as Telos. The planet was recently destroyed by a sith bombardment. The figure gestured to an ensign to give him a status report._

_As the young man walked towards Darth Revan he realised how close he was to death, he had only enlisted 8 months earlier and this was the first task he was to perform directly for the Dark Lord, and with every step he took he was becoming increasingly aware that it was likely to be his last._

"_Status Report!" fear quickly gripped the young man and the words caught in his throat, much to the annoyance of Revan._

"_y...y...yes...my lord...our cruisers made light work of their defences, the planet is in ruins... Telos wont be able to suppo..."_

"_ESTEMATED CASUILTIES!"_

"_O...O...Over.. 300 million my lord." Revan turned on his heel and glared directly at the young man, he was barley able to contain his anger. _

_As soon as the ensign looked into Revan's mask he was sure his life was about to be snuffed out._

"_where is my apprentice?"_

"_On his way... just as you requested... my lord" Revan took a deep breath and faced back towards the observation window._

"_Thank you ensign...leave." The young man bowed deeply and scuttled towards his post, a few moments later Darth Malak arrived. He was tall, even taller than Revan, his skin seemed unnaturally pale and it held a sickly sheen. His eyes were glazed with a sulphuric yellow, he had the look of a man who had been corrupted by the dark side of the force. Malak dropped to one knee as he greeted his master, this formal display was expected of him when in the company of others._

"_Leave us" Revan said in a commanding tone to no one in particular, this was a cue for the room to be cleared, which it did in a heartbeat. "I trust you know why I have summoned you here Malak." Revan said, he raised his hand as a sign for his apprentice to rise._

"_Of course master, you have called me here so that I can brief you on the results of the operation." Malak spoke in a cold and unfeeling tone, this caused Revan's mood to darken even further._

"_NO MALAK I HAVE CALLED YOU HERE SO YOU CAN AWNSER FOR YOUR CRIMES! I CALLED YOU HERE BECAUSE I HOPED IT WASNT TRUE! BUT I SEE THAT IT IS...I have called you here to punish you."_

"_M..My Lord... I did as you asked" Revan couldn't believe what he was hearing, he couldn't believe what his friend had done. The Dark Lord grabbed the air with his fist and Malak was lifted a metre off the floor, he clawed at his throat in a desperate attempt to pry the invisible fist away, but it was no use._

"_I ASKED YOU TO TO SECURE THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE TELOSIAN GOVERNMENT... I GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO SEND A SHADOW TEAM IN TO ASSESS TO GOVERNMENTS STABILITY IF NESSESSARY! I DID NOT SAY AHNIALATE THE FUCKING PLANET!" Revan's fingers came closer together causing Malak to cough up blood. "I ALSO TOLD YOU TELOS WAS A PLANET WE NEEDED, IT HAD VALUABLE RESOURSES AND A KEY SHIPYARD AS WELL AS A MILITAYRY BASE! BUT BECAUSE OF YOUR ANGER AND BLOODLUST YOU HAVE COST US A KEY PLANET AND DESTROYED MILLIONS OF LIVES!" Revan tossed Malak across the room and snarled, he was so disgusted. "Malak... you have murdered millions of people today, people you swore an oath to protect... WE SWORE AN OATH TO PROTECT!" Malak stood on unreliable legs as his master drew closer. He had only ever seen Revan this angry once before and it was an experience he would never forget. The walls seemed to bend and react to the atmosphere and Malak felt helpless as he realised he was at the mercy of the Dark Lord. Malak was surprised when he felt Revan's hand on his shoulder instead of his throat. _

"_Malak you must fight the darkness or it will consume you! Use it, harness it, but use the light to control it like I have. Use the light and remain true to our goal!" Malak put a hand on Revan's arm in return._

"_I...I will try." Revan pulled away and turned back towards the observation window. An atmosphere of grief and guilt flooded the ship and seemed to be hitting Revan like a tidal wave. _

"_Malak...you have destroyed the lives of millions upon millions of people. YOU MUST BE PUNISHED! You have brought misery and suffering upon them...and so I must bring misery and suffering upon you!" and with that Revan turned, and activated his Lightsaber across his old friends face. Malak fell to the ground writhing in agony, in too much pain to scream, he tried to form the words to beg for forgiveness, to plead for mercy, but he found he could not speak. His eyes widened when he saw the bottom half of his jaw lying next to him on the floor. He clutched his mutilated face as Revan knelt down next to him._

"_Malak, I hope you are not in too much pain to hear my words...know that I have shown you a great mercy today. If anyone else had done what you did I would have had them tortured horribly and then killed. I love you Malak...like a brother, but I cannot let you interfere with my plans. Know that if you ever kill another innocent again, the pain you are in now will pale in comparison to what I will put you through." Revan reached into his robes, pulled out a comlink and ordered a medical unit for Malak. Once he was alone he looked back out into the inky blackness of space. A deep and genuine sadness permeated from the man as he asked the force to welcome all those who died on the planet Telos._

"What the hell is happening to me?"

Logan sat up in his bunk, his bare back pressed against the harsh, unforgiving metal wall. His legs were pulled tightly against his chest. A cold sweat spread across his skin. His green irises seemed to get smaller as his pupils dilated, his nostrils flared wildly and his jaw clenched. He was afraid. Logan's hands went to his head, his nails dug deep into his temples as he tried to stop the images from swimming in his mind. He could feel what Revan felt, it was as if their minds were one, he felt the deaths of all of the people on Telos. He could hear them cry out in terror as their lives were snatched away. He forced his eyes shut in a desperate attempt to stop the tears from flowing, but it was to no avail. The images haunted his mind, he felt as if he was drowning in death, as if he couldn't keep his head above any longer. Logan reached out through the force, desperately trying to find away to calm himself. He immediately found what he was looking for. "_Bastila"_ Logan grabbed onto that thought like a lifeline, he could easily feel her presence, even if she was sleeping. "_That session with Zhar must of really worked."_ Logan mused to himself. He had taken a session with Master Zhar focusing on controlling his dreams after he and Bastila shared an intense dream about Revan. He was surprised that he had blocked Bastila out so easily, but he was grateful that he had. These visions of Revan were harrowing to say the least, he didn't want to worry Bastila and immediately decided against informing her about the dream.

As soon as that thought passed he realised that he was calm, the images were still, he wasn't drowning any more. She saved him and she didn't even know it. The young jedi smiled to himself as he stood and stretched. He sensed they were about an hour away from Tatooine, he decided he had time to shower and wash away any traces fear.

Conscious thought slowly came to Bastila. Her eyes were shut but her mind began to awaken. She briefly pondered over the vision of the Star Map but her mind was already elsewhere. She kept her eyes shut as she opened herself to the force, she began to strip away all the metal, every panel of the ship until all she could feel were the beings inside. She immediately found what she was seeking. His aura burnt so bright it was almost blinding, it was terrifying to know that he had barley tapped into his potential. She focused on his aura for a moment longer. It didn't feel like that of a jedi, she could feel the emotions sizzling underneath but she could also feel a genuine light, a sense of calm that many jedi did not possess, that she did not possess. He was truly curious. Her ice blue orbs shot open and her cheeks began to burn as she realised he knew she was watching him. She pulled back and returned to the world around her. Bastila sensed the were about to dock, she needed to get ready.

Bastila walked into the main hold where everyone else had already gathered, breakfast was being served, she sniffed the air and smiled inwardly as the welcoming smell of food made her stomach groan. In an instant a bowl was thrust towards her and she took it gratefully, she looked up to see Logan smiling at her. The crew was silent as they ate but people soon began to disperse to prepare for the mission. A while later everyone had returned, waiting to here the plan. Logan explained to the crew what they were looking for and where they needed to go. A blue hand slowly raised as the young jedi was talking. Logan gave a warm smile and a nod to Mission as a sign for her to speak. The young Twi'lik smiled gratefully as she stepped forward.

"So we're looking for an ancient map in the middle of desert, yeah I get that bit, I was just thinking, the desert is a big place y'know. How are we gonna track it down?"

"Czerka is the main company at Anchorhead. We will ask politely for a map of the dunes."

"And if the don't have it?"

"I am sure they'll know someone who will."


	9. A message to readers

**Thank you to all who read and review my story, it spurs me on to know people are enjoying it. **

**I must apologise for the grammar and spelling, I rushed to get certain chapters done and I admit I am a terrible speller anyway. If I have time I will go back and re-edit the story. **

**Another chapter will be up very shortly, I just wanted to let you know your comments are appreciated and I will do my best to work on them.**


	10. Chapter 9

Logan rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. He and Bastila were not three steps of the Ebon Hawk before they were stopped by a Czerka representative.

"Let me get this straight, you want me to pay you 200 credits jut so I can dock here?" Logan queried. The older man paused for a moment and smiled before continuing

"Yes sir. You must understand, the cost of running this little outpost is not cheap, neither is keeping this docking facility in check." the man gave a rehearsed smile as he held his hand out. Logan sighed inwardly.

"_Credit grabbing bastards!" _He thought to himself, the young jedi had barley set foot on the planet but he could already sense the suffering of its many inhabitants. He was sure he could put the money to better use. Logan stretched out his palm and slowly waved his fingers, he spoke to the man in a slow, relaxed manner as he subtly reached out with the force to influence his thoughts.

"I don't need to pay the docking fee."

"You don't need to pay the docking fee."

"Thank you, we will be on our way." As the two jedi walked towards the entrance to Anchorhead the man was left standing there trying to work out what had just happened. Logan felt a wave of irritation permeating from Bastila, he turned towards her and glared. Taking this as a sign to speak she began.

"I cant help but be disappointed in you Logan." she sated as she crossed her arms. Logan didn't speak, he waited for her to continue lecturing him, she didn't disappoint.

"You know a jedi is prohibited from using the force, especially such a dangerous ability, for personal gain."

"Bastila, do you honestly think that it was the right thing to do to give those credits to that leach? Cant you feel the suffering here, these could serve a better purpose."

"The lure of the dark side is subtle and inviting, you may feel as if you are working for the greater good but it can draw you in further and further until you cannot resist its power any longer. You may draw on its powers out of a desire to help but it soon twists you into everything you hate, everything you fought against, turning you into a mockery of everything you stood for."

"Oh please!" Logan snorted waving his arms about dramatically. "Don't give me the whole once you start down the Dark path forever will it dominate your destiny nonsense! I just don't believe it."

"Then you are a fool." Logan's face turned serious as he went to reply to Bastila.

"No, if you want to have a serious conversation about the nature and philosophies of the force fine, but you are naive to think the only aspect of the force that matters is the light. The Light side and the Dark side are two sides of the same coin, and there is a lot of Gray in between."

"You are foolish to think you can dabble in aspects of the Dark side and walk away uncorrupted."

"Really? I beg to differ." Logan lifted his hand towards his eyes as he looked around. "This is not the place to be having this conversation, we have a mission to attend to." The jedi walked along the sandy path until they were stopped abruptly by a distraught woman. She clung to Logan's cloak desperately in the hopes he would stop. He turned to face her and she fell to her knees. Tears were flowing freely down her face, a look of heartbreak and desperation stained her features. Logan immediately joined her on the ground.

"Please...please! You are a jedi? Pleas help me!" She managed through barley restrained sobs.

"Its all right, I am Logan, I will help if I can."

"Oh thank you Master jedi! thank you! My husband was a hunter, but he...he died, now I am alone and I have no way to feed my children, I only have one thing of worth...this Wraid plate of my husbands." The woman produced a best bone from a pouch. Logan inspected it and immediately valued it at 500 credits.

"I know its worth at least 500 credits...But I have no way to sell it, I have no hunters licence. Please sell it for me. I need to feed my children."

"A hunters licence?"

"You...you have no license?" A wave of despair washed across the woman as she realised her children would go hungry again. Logan got to his feet and looked down at the woman. She was just one of millions with a similar story, but if he could help just one he would of made a difference.

"Give me your hand." The woman looked up at the young jedi, his face held such wisdom, his eyes looked older than the galaxy itself. She took is hand and felt a renewed sense of hope. He pulled her to her feet and placed a hand on her shoulder. After a few moments Logan's confident voice broke the silence.

"I can give you 2000 credits."

"2000 CREDITS? That...that is...I don't know what to say!" He handed her the credits and smiled. The woman went to hand the Wraid plate to Logan but he shook his head.

"Keep it, show your children how their father provided for them."

"Thank you so much." tears of joy and relief now marked the woman's face.

"May the force be with you." Bastila placed a hand on Logan's arm.

"That is how a jedi should always act." He gave her a grim smile.

"It was just one person, just a drop in the ocean. But if one persons suffering can be healed I have made a difference...That woman said something about a hunting license, I presume we will need one to leave Anchorhead."

"Where will we get one?" Bastila queried. Logan pointed to the Large door on his left.

"Shall we pay Czerka a visit?" The jedi stepped through the door into the small building.

"Oh, hello." A female voice called out. Logan walked towards the woman and smiled. He studied the woman for a moment before speaking.

"I am here about a hunting licence."

"I am afraid we no longer sell them." Logan paused for a moment, he saw a glint of lust in the woman's eyes. He lent over the desk that separated them and a smouldering smile slowly yet deliberately spread across his features.

"I am sure a woman who is as clever as she is beautiful knows how I can get my hands on one."

"Well...you do look quite...capable."

"I am sure you will come to find I am more than capable."

"Of that I'm sure...I can only issue a licence if you agree to remove the threat of the Sand People, I will give you a handsome sum of credits for every Gaffi stick you bring me, an even larger sum for the Chieftain's stick." He flashed the woman another irrisistable smile.

"You've got yourself a deal.

"Great, here is your licence." She pulled a metal card out from under the desk and handed it to Logan, her hand brushed across his and lingered their for a few moments longer than necessary.

Bastila's cheeks began to burn, a bitter taste lay on her tongue, currents of jealousy throbbed in her veins.

"One more thing."

"yes?" the woman replied with hope in her voice.

"Do you know if there are any interesting landmarks out in the desert?"

"Oh..." A disappointed frown spread across her face. "Czerka doesn't have any information on specific locations in the Dunes...however you might want to try Yuka Laka, he owns the droid shop, it is just beyond the cantina."

"Thanks."

"If you happen to go in the cantina, I will be their later tonight." Bastila's jealousy overwhelmed her, she suddenly grabbed Logan's arm and pulled him towards the door.

"I am terribly sorry to break up this budding romance!" she spat, the venom was aimed equally at Logan and the woman. "But we are on a rather tight schedule!" As soon as they were out of the building Bastila faced Logan and if looks could kill, he would have been one with the force right then.

"What the hell was that?"

"I don't understand."

"You and that...that bimbo! She was all over you!"

"She had information we needed so I used my charms to obtain it." Bastila's face turned red.

" So that's how you treat women is it? Is that how you thought of me?"

"Since when do you care? You cant treat me like a toy Bastila! One moment you want me the next you don't! You change your mind more than you change your sodding cloths!" Logan studied her face for a moment, he saw the hurt and the anger that was there.

She couldn't believe he was acting like this, he forced her to feel for him even thought it was forbidden, it was his fault she was acting like this.

"Now just wait a minuet if I am acting crazy its your fault, I warned you what would happen, but you pressed on anyway! Well don't you worry I wont be bothering you any more! Are relationship will be strictly professional from now on! After this mission is over we can forget we ever met!" Suddenly he gripped her arm tightly and pulled her into a side ally. He slammed her against the stone wall and poured his steaming emeralds into her equally defiant gaze. Both jedi were sizzling with unbridled passions, as Bastila looked at him she was briefly afraid of what he was going to do. She tried to stare him down but he knew what she was feeling. His mouth hovered dangerously close to hers, their bodies were pressed so tightly together they could feel every inch of one another, even through their amour.

"Your trembling."

"I am not."

"Your trembling because you want me to kiss you." Bastila hesitated, she had vowed to herself she wouldn't let this man seduce her again.

"I...your...you cant tease me like this and expect me to resist!"

"I don't want you to resist."

"We cant...not here..."

"Do you want me to kiss you?" His eyes sparkled with unspoken desires, she knew her emotions mimicked his and she could do nothing to hide it, she didn't want to hide it.

"Yes...yes I want you to kiss me." As soon as she granted him permission, he pressed himself against her and delivered a ferocious kiss. Before his kisses transported her to a sensual paradise, now she felt smothered in lust, he craved her and she knew it. She loved every second of it. He kissed her with a desperation, his tongue began to caress her mouth. His left hand found its way under her long hair, while his right hand began to embrace every portion of her. Her hands found their way into his robes, she pawed at the fabric, desperate to feel his skin, familiar bolts of pleasure began to course through Bastila, an erotic cry escaped her lips. Her hands moved to the back of his head and began to rake through his ebony locks. Her fingers moved down to his neck and pulled him closer. She drank in as many sweet pleasures as she could, not wanting the experience to end. Their feelings were intertwined now, they both knew exactly what the other wanted. Logan wanted to please her in any way he could, waves of pleasure were rolling in and out, neither cared that anyone could see them. They were oblivious to the world around them.

"Yes.." She moaned into his ear, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her as close as he possibly could. This was the moment of his life, nothing else even came close, he was holding the only woman he would ever want and he knew she felt the same. Their eyes locked together once more. "Kiss me again." She begged, these moments of pleasure he provided her with were the moments she cherished.

Logan smiled and brushed his course thumb against the delicate skin on her cheek. Slowly his mouth drew closer to hers, she could feel his sweet breath against her face, their lips were only millimetres apart.

"Excuse me...oh I.."

Both jedi's eyes widened as they realised they were not alone. They scrambled apart and tried to look as casual as possible. An embarrassed grin spread across Logan's features whereas Bastila looked absolutely mortified. The female Twi'lek who interrupted them gave a knowing smile.

"I am sorry for interrupting, but I couldn't help wondering...you are Bastila? Bastila Shan yes?"

"I...I am Bastila yes."

"I am a friend of your mother. Are you here to see her?"

"My mother...what is this about?"

"Your mother has been trying to contact you for some time, she is here on Tatooine, I am afraid she isn't well." Bastila's eyes widened.

"Is my father with her?"

"Oh...maybe you should talk to your mother."

"Thank you." The woman walked off and left the two jedi alone. After a brief pause Bastila spoke up. "That was the most humiliating moment of my life."

"Why? We did nothing wrong, OK technically we are not allowed to do that. But men and women do it all the time."

"That woman caught us...going at it !" Logan couldn't suppress a grin.

"I doubt she is going to call up Master Vrook and tell him what we've been up to." Now it was Bastila's turn to smile, though she tried to hide it. "Do you want to go and see your mother?" the smile quickly evaporated and was replaced with sullen contemplation.

"I cant imagine it will be an enjoyable conversation, but if she is really sick...besides I would like to see my father." Logan held out his hand, after a pause Bastila took it. Even though his hand engulfed hers they seemed to fit together perfectly.

"Would you allow me to escort you to the cantina?" A twinkle danced across his jade depths, it caused Bastila's lips to quiver.

"You may." she said with a smile, he brushed his soft lips against the delicate skin on her hand and led her to the meeting with her mother.


	11. Chapter 10

Logan's hand protectively slid around his bond-mates waste, he pulled her close towards him. The young jedi could feel his temper rising, even in the low light of the cantina he knew where all eyes were lingering. He knew she would come to no harm, she could take care of herself anyway. But still, his purpose was to protect her. Bastila squeezed her companions arm in an effort to reassure him she was all right. It seemed to do the trick, Logan gave the female jedi a warm simile as he reluctantly removed his hand from its perch on her waist. Bastila held out her hand and he took it unquestioningly, his warm skin sent a tingling comfort coursing through her.

His emerald irises shone in the dimly lit room and they immediately found what they were seeking. The woman didn't share all of Bastila's features, but there were similarities Logan instantly recognised. The regal stance, the pale complexion, the ice blue eyes, the disapproving frown. A small smile quickly spread across his face.

"I seem to have found your mother."

"What? How do you know it's her?"

"Because she has your frown."

"Don't you dare compare me to my mother!" She hissed, he immediately regretted his last statement. He remembered the bittersweet look in her eyes as she talked about her childhood, he remembered the disdainful way she described her relationship with her mother.

"Bas... I'm sorry." She glanced towards him and smiled at his reaction.

"It's all right...lets just get this over with." Logan led Bastila through the crowd, his imposing frame easily clearing a path. As Logan reached Helena he felt Bastila's unease through their bond, he squeezed her hand, letting her know he was there for her.

"Yes young man...do I know you?" A moment later Bastila appeared at Logan's side, recognition flared in Helena's eyes.

"Bastila?"

"You recognise me? I'm surprised." The female jedi mocked, the frost in her voice evident.

"What do you expect? I haven't had so much as a picture of you since you joined the order!"

"You knew the jedi discouraged family contact."

"Was it too much to ask for one picture of my only daughter?"

"Are you really sick? Or was that a ploy to get credits?"

"Is it too much to ask to see my daughter before I die?" Bastila glanced around the cantina before her cold gaze retuned to her mother.

"Where is father? I would like to see him." Logan felt a wave of sorrow roll off Bastila's mother, he knew what was coming long before the words escaped her lips.

"You don't know then?"

"Know what? What have you done to him?" Bastila's temper quickly began to rise as the unfamiliar pang of concern shot through her body.

"So sweet..." Helena glanced towards her daughter's companion, she immediately determined that he was a jedi. His body language suggested he was something more though, it was obvious to anyone with eyes how he felt about Bastila, and Helena had always been observant. Her orb's moved to his face, she could see why her daughter would like him, he was extremely handsome, more so than any man she had ever seen. She caught only a glimpse of his green eyes, but a glimpse was all she needed to understand. His eyes seemed to be set beyond time, behind them lay so much power and wisdom. She knew immediately that he was aware of her husband's death. In that moment she could swear he was using the force to speak to her, to urge her to tell her daughter the truth. She turned back to Bastila and saw the resentment that lay in her eyes, she was sure that any relationship that she could of rekindled with her daughter would remain dead after she told her the news. With a heavy sigh she continued.

"Your father is dead Bastila. He died out on the Dune Sea." Bastila's world came to an abrupt halt, a stinging sensation plagued her eyes and a lump in her throat made it impossible to swallow. Bastila's grip on Logan's hand tightened, he rubbed his thumb across her skin, letting her know he was there.

"How do you know? He could still be out there!"

"A hunter who was with your father told me the news, he witnessed what happened! I can't ask for more proof than that."

"But father was an experienced Hunter! He wouldn't ha..."

"He was hunting for Krayt dragon pearls. He was tracking a lair with a group of native hunters. They stumbled onto an Alpha's lair and only one of them managed to escape. He told me personally that he saw your father killed by the dragon, and that he can only assume that his body is still out there. He also said that an experienced hunter has been commissioned to kill the Dragon." Bastila remained silent, trying to digest what her mother had told her.

"I want you to use those jedi senses of yours, I want you to find your father's holocron and bring it to me."

"Why? So you can pawn it?"

"Is it too much to ask for a wife to see her husband one last time? Just get me the holocron and I won't bother you again!" Logan led Bastila out of the cantina, the Glare of Tatooine's sun's was a huge contrast to the dark lighting of the cantina. Bastila closed her eyes as the light mercilessly hit her face. Logan turned to her, she looked as if she had just been hit by a speeder.

"Are you OK?" He knew it was a ridiculous question, how could she be? It was something he had to ask regardless. Bastila forced a solemn smile, she was genuinely touched by his concern but the only person she had ever loved, the only person who had ever loved her was gone, nothing could take that hurt away.

"I will be fine."

"Bas, I know what your feeling, I know what goes on up here." He tapped his index finger on the side of his temple. "I know it hurts...if you ever need to talk, I am here."

"Thank you, I appreciate your concern."

"What do you want to do...about the holocron I mean?" Bastila hesitated before replying.

"I...I don't know, I doubt we will have time." Logan moved towards her, he brought his hand to her cheek and ran his course thumb along her elegant jawline. She stared into his warm and inviting eyes.

"If it is important to you we will make time." She sighed, taking comfort in the warmth of his hand.

"Father recorded all of his personal thoughts on his holocron, I would like to see him again."

"Then we will look for it." He stated matter of factly. She brought her delicate hand up and placed it on top of his, she pressed his hand deeper into her cheek and smiled at the comfort that provided.

"Thank you...I don't kno..." There moment was interrupted by a tremor in the force, both jedi jumped apart, their senses alert.

"Sith!" Bastila hissed.

"Three of them... over there." The dark jedi had been suppressing their aura's, making it impossible fore a force user to detect them. Now that they had located their targets they felt no need to hide. Logan's charcoal cloak fell to the floor as he prepared himself for battle. Bastila unclipped her double bladed sabre and fingered the activation switch. The leader of the group did nothing to hide his twisted features, his yellow eyes burned inside dark, sunken sockets, his teeth were almost completely corroded. He was truly a vessel of hatred.

"Lord Malak was most displeased when he learned you escaped Taris alive!" The sith spat as he activated his crimson lightsaber. A disgusting smile formed on his face as his companions followed suit. "He has promised a great reward to whoever destroys you!"

"Two can play at that game." Logan muttered to himself as a ferocious grin formed on his face. He stopped hiding his force signature and projected his true aura directly towards the sith. The three dark jedi staggered backwards, completely blinded by the aura he was projecting. Logan held out his hand and his lightsaber flew into it, springing to life with a sizzling snap hiss. The sith held their lightsaber's up defensively, quickly coming to the correct conclusion that they were on the loosing end of this battle.

"YOU TAKE THE WOMAN! WE WILL DEAL WITH THIS ONE!" The leader screamed to the sith on his left, who immediately leapt toward Bastila. Logan's jade depths glowed behind his lightsaber as they fixed on the sith to the right. Without warning he threw himself into the air and brought his blade down hard, the sith brought his weapon up as quickly as he could, stopping Logan from decapitating him, fear quickly gripped the man as he realised his lightsaber had been sliced in two. Without hesitation Logan grabbed the sith's shoulder and pulled him close as he buried his blade deep into his gut. The leader snarled, in a matter of moments one of them had been cut down. Logan twirled his blade expertly as he brought his attention to the leader, the sith threw an aggressive jab at him which was parried easily, Logan quickly countered with a slash to his legs, the sith leapt forward, twisting in mid air and landing behind him, Logan turned quickly, he already knew he wouldn't get his blade up fast enough to block the sith's attack. The dark jedi thrust his blade towards his chest at an inhuman speed, he smiled when he realised the young jedi wasn't fast enough. Logan grunted in discomfort as he felt the heat of the sith's blade next to his skin.

"TIME TO DIE!" The sith declared in triumph, saliva sprayed out of his mouth, evaporating next to the heat of his lightsaber. He pushed his blade forward, wanting to see the jedi scum completely impaled on his blade, but was confused when it wouldn't budge. The sith spared a glance past the red of his weapon and was enraged with what he saw. Logan's green eyes burned defiantly, his right palm was stretched and a blue sheen covered it, the sith's blade was millimetres away from his hand, Logan released a surge of energy at his enemy, sending him staggering backwards. The sith advanced again, fully embracing his hatred of this man, he was determined to strike him down. Logan completely opened himself to the force, entranced by the musical humming of the lightsaber's, he seemed to know where the sith was going to strike every time. Logan was demonstrating an intimate knowledge of many lightsaber forms, he had only been taught a few of them on Dantooine, but they all began to flow naturally, the lightsaber began to feel like an extension of his body and soon the sith was completely outclassed. The sith was resorting to desperate measures and tried to pummel Logan with a high, powerful swing, the two blades locked together and distinct crackling of lightsaber's echoed through Anchorhead.

"I can sense your feelings jedi! You don't believe in their code, not really! You have hatred and anger, you have the markings of a great sith!" Logan shrugged of the sith's attempts to instil doubt and deactivated his lightsaber. He side stepped the sith's clumsy lunge forward and reactivated his blade across his enemy's shoulder. The dark jedi stumbled into a corner and held his blade defensively in front of him. Logan twirled his blade and without thinking he instinctively lifted it to his left shoulder and held it parallel to the floor. The sith gasped, no other being in the galaxy could master that form, no other being in the galaxy handled a blade with such grace, no other being in the galaxy had a force aura as strong as his, he was sure of it now...he was Revan. The sith immediately deactivated his lightsaber and dropped to one knee, he bowed his head deeply.

"My lord!"

"What?"

Bastila had been having some trouble with her opponent, she was quick, nimble and accurate, where as he was powerful and reckless. She soon began to realise his aggressive stance made him more vulnerable to force attacks.

The sith hammered down a heavy barrage of attacks, trying to bludgeon his way through Bastila's defences, the female jedi flicked them away and leapt backwards, allowing herself more space. As the sith began to charge at her she reached out with the force to create a stasis field around him, paralysing him completely. She threw her twin blades at her enemy, slicing him in half. As her lightsaber returned to her hand she immediately looked for Logan, what she found made her blood run cold.

"My lord!"

"What?"

Before the sith could answer, Logan turned to see Bastila storming towards them, her yellow blade active.

"Bas do..." before Logan could fully protest Bastila cleanly decapitated the man, silencing him forever. Logan turned to the female jedi, the anger in his eyes caused the pace of her heart to quicken.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR? HE WAS UNARMED!"

"He was to dangerous to be kept alive!"

"The jedi do not kill their prisoners, no matter what their crimes! Your words Bastila!" He looked into her face and saw the worry and the hurt there, he could see she did it to protect him, but he didn't understand why. Bastila shifted uncomfortably under his penetrating gaze, she could see he was searching for answers, but she couldn't provide him with any, he could never know the truth.

"I am sorry...I did it to protect you...I mean us. The mission cannot be compromised!" His face began to soften as he realised she was right, the mission was to important to be put in jeopardy by collecting sith, he knew she was still hiding something from him, he would question her about it later.

"I am sorry, you are right." As soon as that thought had past, his eyes scanned her body, checking her for wounds.

"I am perfectly fine!"

"I know, but I cant help worrying." She smiled at his concern and watched him as he looted the bodies, he added their lightsaber's to the growing collection on his belt and picked his cloak up from the floor.

"Where did you get that lightsaber?" She queried, realising she had never seen a blade like it before, she had never recalled a weapon that emitted an aura as powerful as that before either. He palmed the weapon and a proud smile quickly adorned his face.

"I built it."

"What...How?"

"On Dantooine I studied some ancient passages available in the library. The texts gave detailed descriptions of various lightsaber constructions, one passage was particularly interesting. It described how someone skilled in lightsaber creation does not need to use a work bench, you can create your weapon using the force, ultimately the weapon will be better for it, it becomes much more in tune with its creator, really making it an extension of your body."

"It is fascinating!" She gasped in awe, admiring the detailed hilt. "You are truly gifted." He beamed in appreciation.

"Thank you." Logan's eyes fixed on a door opposite them before turning back to Bastila.

"Come on Yuka Laka's shop is there, maybe he will know where we can find the Star Map." And with that the jedi entered the building in silence, leaving a growing crowd to pick apart any thing valuable on the bodies of the sith.


	12. An update for readers

**Just to let readers know I have gone back and re-edited previous chapters, hopefully now it will be a more enjoyable read. **

**Any reviews and tips are helpful as this is my first story. It feels like a learning by doing process but I think chapters are becoming smoother.**

** Keep reading, another chapter will be along soon!**


	13. Chapter 11

The overpowering stench of oil hit Bastila like a tidal wave. She immediately remembered why she hated anything to do with machines. Her hand flew to her face as she tried her best to protect herself from the offending odour, but it was in her mouth now. The horrifyingly bitter taste clung to her tongue and burnt the back of her throat.

Logan turned to see his companion battling to fend off the penetrating aroma's occupying Yuka Laka's droid shop and immediately handed her his canteen of water. She took it gratefully and rinsed the abominable senses from her mouth. Logan turned to her and smiled as she gave him the water.

"You could wait outside while I get the information."

"I am not going to let a bad smell get in the way of the mission! And I remember what happened the last time I let you roam a shop by yourself."

"I thought you would of figured out by now that I am a one woman man."

A blush spread across Bastila's face as the delightful memories of Logan's embrace swam in her mind. He leaned closer and whispered into her ear as the owner of the store moved to greet them.

"And besides...I'm not into Ithorian's."

Bastila suppressed a snort of laughter as Logan greeted Yuka Laka.

"Ah, a customer! I am Yuka Laka, and this is my emporium. I specialise in swoop parts and droid upgrades."

"Actually I came about something else...I am looking for an artefact out in the Dunes, and I hear your the man I need to see."

"Yes, I know the desert well. I can't help you unless you tell me what your looking for however."

"We are looking for an ancient Star Map." Bastila interjected. The Ithorian was silent for a moment. He rubbed his long, curved neck in contemplation before continuing.

"I have never come across a thing like that my self...the only people who would know where such a thing is located are the Sand People, they aren't very talkative though."

"Your going to try to sell me something aren't you?" Logan stated with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

"I do happen to have something you may find useful. The HK unit over there in the corner claims to be able to Speak the Sand People's dialect. He is in good condition and works perfectly...are you interested?"

"Can I inspect him first?"

"Go ahead, he is quite lively though."

Logan paced up to the towering machine. It was clearly designed to intimidate and was obviously no protocol model. The rust coloured droid lit up as Logan came closer, a familiar sensation washed over him, he recognised this droid, he couldn't work out where from but he had definitely seen it before.

"**Statement: **Greetings prospective purchaser! I am HK-47 and am at your service, should you decide to remove me from the possession of that insufferable meatbag Yuka Laka."

"Are you allowed to talk about your master like that?" Logan queried with a smirk on his face, he was truly intrigued by the droid.

"**Quick clarification****:** I simply meant that Yuka Laka's repair skills are not the best, and that I feel I would be of more value to you."

"I find myself in need of a skilled translator...can you speak the Sand People's dialect?"

"**Statement:** The meatbag Yuka Laka placed a restraining bolt on me that prevents me from answering that question. With this bolt in place I cannot know the full extent of my functionality. However, I do know that what has been tested is in pristine working order. If you were to purchase me, and if that meatbag were to remove the restraining bolt, then my memory and functionality would be restored."

"I shall see about buying you then."

Logan turned on his heel and returned to the alien,who was clearly eager to negotiate a price.

"I trust you found everything in order?"

"You are sure he can understand the Sand People?"

"Yes, yes. With the restraining bolt in place however, he cannot discuss his functions." Logan paused for a moment before replying.

"OK...how much do you want for him?" The Ithorian's black eyes glowed as he realised he had a bite.

"4000 credits, no less!" Logan raised a dark brow and simply glared at the alien. "Maybe I was hasty...3500, that is very reasonable."

"Knock off an extra 500 and you've got yourself a deal." The alien hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

"Done." Logan reached into his pocket but quickly remembered he was out of credits.

"Bollocks..." He muttered under his breath. "Can you put the droid on reserve? I left the credits on my ship."

"I make no promises, I expect there to be allot of interest in this model." Logan waved a hand as he and Bastila walked out of the store.

"Do we have enough money?" Bastila asked, sounding slightly concerned.

"Don't worry, we have enough, I just didn't expect to need so much...we will have to go back to the Hawk, I have more credits on the ship. We will also need to get more supplies and change into more suitable cloths. I trust you packed for the occasion?"

"Of course...a day trip out in the desert trying to track down a pack of bloodthirsty savages. I can barely wait." Logan placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, he was sure that this wouldn't be her ideal destination at the best of times and the news about her father had left her feeling apprehensive to say the least.

"Bastila, I promise you that if there is any chance of finding your father, I will."

"I...I know, thank you."

"Come on, lets go back to the ship." The female jedi nodded and smiled as they continued on in silence.

Logan pulled a thin white vest over his bare torso and tucked it into a matching pare of cargo pants. He was not looking forward to frolicking about in the desert, but it was necessary, necessary for the mission and necessary for Bastila. In truth he was aware of how unlikely it was to find her father alive, he would have been gravely injured if he did survive the encounter with the dragon and the harsh conditions of Tatooine's wastes would of slimmed his chances considerably. However, life was an unpredictable thing and a humans natural instinct for survival was unquestionable. With a frustrated sigh he grabbed his leather utility belt and headed for the exit ramp.

A deep blush was spreading fast across Bastila's cheeks. She could feel Logan's emerald gems wandering over her body, the white jumpsuit she was wearing conformed to her every curve, leaving little to the imagination. She was the most gorgeous creature Logan had ever laid eyes on, he was desperate to memorize every portion of her.

"Please, your making me uncomfortable."

"I'm sorry...I just really like that jumpsuit." Bastila gave an irritated sigh before continuing.

"Men...cant you stare at something else?"

"Hey! Its not my fault that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life!" Bastila's cheeks got warmer as she realised what he just said.

"You think I'm beautiful?" Logan was genuinely shocked that she would even doubt it. His gaze turned serious as he moved closer. His hand gently brushed across her cheek, her mouth slowly formed into a seductive smile, he suddenly found himself longing to kiss those full, red lips. His orbs were fixed on them, he couldn't pull away, when he did finally speak again she barely heard him. She managed to hear how distracted his voice was however, she quickly realised why. His eyes weren't wandering freely over her body any more, they were glued to her lips. She found herself inwardly smiling at the intensity of his stare, she had never felt truly wanted, truly desired before but now she did, she liked it.

"Bastila, surely your teasing me...I meant every word, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life." The look in his eyes was so genuine, she knew he meant every word, Bastila was beginning to realise she felt exactly the same about him.

"Thank you...your not so bad yourself." Logan gave her a wolfish grin.

"_Was that a compliment?"_ He dismissed the idea of pulling her up on it for fear of ruining the moment. His grin widened as Bastila's fingers slid along the bare skin of his well toned arm.

After working up the will power Logan reluctantly dragged himself away from her, they had a mission to complete.

"Lets see about buying that droid shall we?"

"O...of course, lets go." She spluttered after mentally kicking herself, she knew she needed to focus on the mission.

"Will he be able to handle that weapon?" She queried, pointing to the large rifle that was thrown over Logan's shoulder.

"That droid is no protocol model, I have a feeling that he is intimately familiar with combat."

"How can you tell?"

"There was a great deal of carbon scoring on the frame, the droid was clearly built to intimidate and he just seemed...confident, bloodthirsty."

"I am not sure I like the idea of having a 'confident, bloodthirsty' droid watching my back."

"Don't worry, I'll be the only one watching your back...we still need the droid though, come on."

After re-entering Yuka Laka's shop Logan produced a handful of credits from a pouch on his belt and handed them to the delighted alien.

"3000 credits, as agreed." The male jedi stated, sounding slightly irritated that he was spending so much money. The Ithorian's long fingers poured over the credits before glancing up at an increasingly aggravated Logan.

"He's all yours, just allow me to remove that restraining bolt for you." Yuka Laka's reedy fingers wrapped around a hydrospanner, as he got to work removing the restraining bolt Logan smiled to himself, HK was not lying when he said that the Ithorian's repair skills weren't the best. This line of thought was validated a few moments later when the droid reacted to his clumsy attempt to remove the bolt.

"**Belligerent statement: **It is obvious that you are a creature of limited ability, you cannot even complete a simple procedure without ruining my paint work!" As soon as the Ithorian snapped the restraining bolt off, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was extremely glad to be rid of the droid.

"There...its your problem now! I truly thought I would never sell this psychopathic pile of rust!" Logan turned to the droid and smiled.

"Well, it looks like your with me."

"**Relieved statement:** Oh thank the maker! I cannot describe the indignities I have been forced to endure at the talons of that incompetent meatbag." Logan was finding the droid's resentment towards Yuka Laka very amusing.

"**Pleading query: **Can I crush his neck now, master? Just a little? It's been a personal fantasy of mine for some time..." The droid trailed off, Logan was sure he was indulging himself in images of being covered in the Ithorian's blood. Although he found HK's unusual personality intriguing, he would not let him harm another being unless it was unavoidable.

"I'm sorry HK, we don't have time." Once they were out of the store Logan was sure he could see a spark of disappointment in the droid's yellow eyes, he didn't want to get off to a bad start with the droid so he decided to give him the blaster. "I got you a present." Logan handed the large blaster rifle to the droid with a smirk. HK's yellow sockets glowed gleefully as he expertly examined his new weapon.

"**Euphoric proclamation:** Ooh! An RT-97C Heavy Blaster Rifle...three enhanced scopes for increased accuracy and range...Oh how charming! An illegally modified thermal scanner...If I had the lips, I would kiss you master!"

"That's OK HK...now has your memory been restored?"

"**Statement: **Unfortunately master, it has not. I only know that I am a droid proficient in over 6000 forms of communication, I can understand the dialect of the Sand People and that I have prolific combat training."

"Your stating the obvious with the combat bit..." Logan was thoughtful for a moment before continuing. "Have you been damaged? Can your memory be restored?"

"**Statement: **I believe I have been damaged several times in the past, however I was always repaired. It appears I have taken severe damage to the chest, a number of parts are newer than others. It is possible that some of my memory is lying dormant due to the extensive damage, or that incompetent meatbag Yuka Laka might have erased my entire memory. I cannot say...I am still a fully loyal droid...ready, willing, and able. You point to a target you want removed from the galaxy and I do the removing...I can barely wait...my gears are practically quivering in anticipation. I would very much like to engage in some unadulterated violence.." HK noticed the surprised look on Logan's face and quickly finished his statement.

"At your command, of course."

"You can understand the Sand People, good. Do you know where we can find them?"

"**Answer:** The Sand people roam the Dunes in small parties, these parties scavenge for technology and hunt for food. I suspect any enclave of theirs would be in the northern parts of the desert."

"Right...lets go."

"**Statement: **As you wish, master." The two jedi and the droid made there way over to the huge gate separating Anchorhead from the Dune sea. Logan flashed his hunting licence at the gate guard and they proceeded into the harsh wastelands in silence before being stopped abruptly by a woman on the war path.

"YOU! Your a hunter yes? Your one of his buddies down at that hunting lodge, I know what goes on down there! All you guys stick together, you don't care who gets hurt! You don't care about the women who are left at home! The woman who cooks the dinner, raises the children, runs the business! The woman who waisted her life loving him for eighteen years!" Logan was shocked at the greeting he received from this enraged woman. Her face softened slightly as she continued, the hurt in her eyes was quickly revealed to him.

"When you see him...tell him Marlena says happy anniversary." She pushed past Logan, and entered Anchorhead, not giving him a chance to protest. He shrugged at Bastila when he saw the confusion on her face.

"I suggest we move on." Bastila stated, realising they could do nothing about the woman at the moment.

"I agree, I suspect we will run into 'him' later."


	14. Another update for readers

**Hello to those who read my story, I am sorry it is taking so long for a new chapter. I had an accident with the computer and everything was lost. I have been slow recreating this chapter as I have just started my art course, but I thought I should let you know a new chapter is on its way shortly. Please keep reading and reviewing! **


	15. Chapter 12

**I am sorry this chapter took so long, the whole thing got deleted when my computer broke and I had no time to re-write. The next one will be longer, more action packed and because of the christmas holidays quicker. :) A big thanks to people who read and review, especially to Sithslayer69 your ideas were a great help and have gone into my draft for the next chapter.**

Water was a sweet relief for Logan, even if it lasted for just a second. It provided him with a moment of sanity, a moment of freedom, and not just from the oprressing heat of Tatooine's twin suns. He liberally applied more of the life giving substance to his skin before offering the canteen to Bastila. She shook her head as she wrapped her fingers on the side of her own bottle. Logan smiled inwardly. she didn't even seem fazed by the heat, which was surprising considering her pale complexion. Maybe it was him, maybe he was just seeing what he wanted to see.

Logan's thoughts were interrupted by a glint in the distance, as the party moved closer things quickly became clearer. A man was standing in the middle of the wilderness, surrounded by four frantic robots."That must be the 'him' the woman was reffering to." Logan stated to no one in particular.

**Ammused Statement:** "Now we know what the female meatbag meant by 'happy anniversary'. Oh I do so love to see people in distress... exept for you of course master." Before the jedi could give a reply to the phsycotic droid, the man lost his patience and called them over.

"Hey! You! Over there, in the white! I could use a little help! I ah seem to be ah...DOOMED!" Logan cautiously moved closer, not liking the look of the malfunctioning robots.

"Do you know a Marlena?"

"Yeah I know a Marlena...I'm Tanis, her husband." Logan stopped a few feet away from the droids before continuing.

"Your wife says happy anniversary."

"Wha..." A haze fell over the mans eyes as he realised what his wife had done. "The...THE BITCH! I'll kill her I SWARE TO THE GODS I'LL KILL HER! Err...as soon as I get out of this mess..." Tanis glanced over to Logan before continuing. "You, you can get me out of this right? PLEASE! I've been here for hours!"

"And I suppose you did nothing to deserve this?" Logan querried while folding his arms and giving the man a dissaproving glare. He remembered the state he found Marlena in, he could tell that this man had broken her and he didn't even care. A part of him wanted to leave him to rot in the desert as a punishment for the suffering he had caused, but deep down he knew that was not right. That would not ease Marlena's pain and it would not give this man a chance to right his wrongs. No, Logan knew what he had to do, he had to make Tanis see the error of his ways and give him a chance to put things right with his family.

"OK, I'm the first to admit I wasn't the perfect husband, but I tried y'know! So what if I like to enjoy the finer things in life, thats no reason to kill me is it?"

Bastila was becomeing increasingly aggrivated by this man, he was openly admitting to cheating on his wife and he didn't even care, he almost seemed proud of it! Why should they help him? There were millions of people in the galaxy, suffering through no fault of their own. This man deserved his fate.

"I say we leave him."  
Logan turned to face his companion. He was truly shocked by what he just heard, and was even more disturbed by the hatred he found in her usualy open and comassionate eyes. He knew this buisness with her father had rattled her senses, but now he was really worried.

"Y'know your awfully cold for such a pretty lady!" Logan turned to Tanis and glared.

"If you want me to get you out of this mess you put yourself in, you better shut the hell up!"

It took logan a good few minutes to safely disable the first droid, he quickly realised that if one exploded it would trigger the others and Tanis would be dead. Logan was very aware that the K-X12 model was particularly difficult to disble because of the adaptability of the robot. Although this model was officially dubbed as a probe droid by its manufacturer, the K-X12 could serve many functions, be it a utility droid, or a more disposable security droid. They were also commonly used as medical droids, however Logan had far more harrowing memories of them.

A while later Tanis breathed a sigh of relief as the last droid fell to the floor, however not everyone was as pleased. Logan could understand why HK was so upset, the droid was homicidal to say the least. Bastila on the other hand, he had never felt such a negative aura flow from her.

**Desperate Plea:** "Master I beg of you, just at least let me maim him a little! I have not killed anyone in so long...my trigger finger is beggining to rust!"

"HK your rusty all over anyway and besides, there are plenty of other things to kill in this desert." Tanis seemed slightly relieved after Logan put his droid on a leash and began to speek.

"Hey, thanks for your help, I dont know what I would of done if you didn't show up." Logan squared up to the man, he knew it was time to give him the wake up call he needed.

"I do, you would of died. Now you owe me."

"Oh, yeah...yeah of course, this is all I have on me." Tanis thrust a handfull of credits in the young jedis direction but was met with an insulted response.

"I DONT WANT YOUR CREDITS! I WANT YOU TO REALISE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO YOUR WIFE! Why the hell did you marry her, was it because you loved her, or was it because you wanted cheap labour?"

"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? You dont know a single thing about me or my wife you so..."

"Your wrong I know plenty."

Tanis reluctantly listened as Logan informed him of the state he found Marlena in. He listened as the young jedi discribed the hurt he found in her eyes. She was in so much pain because of him. Tanis thought back to the vows he made to her eighteen years ago, It had been so long since he looked at that memory, he loved her compleatly back then, he still did. Why had he been so stupid? What had changed? His children were born and for all the joy they gave him, they didn't make his life any easier. Quality time with his wife was sparse and the only way to keep food on the table was to go on more time consuming and dangerous expeditions. It was something he was dead set against at first, hunting was not something he enjoyed but if you were good it payed well. The more hunts Tanis went on, the more his family seemed to drift away from him, until it seemed like the only thing left was the hunt. Oh he had been a fool!

"So, will you try to speak with her?" The powerfull voice of Logan said, breaking the silence and drawing Tanis from his stupor.

"Wh...y.. yeah yeah I will. I had forgotten." Tanns shifted in the rust coloured sand, trying desperatly to choke back tears. "Forgotten how much I love her." Logan placed an understanding hand on the mans shoulder.

"There may still be time, go to her appologise, explain, build on what you've got."

"Thankyou for saving my life...and for making me realise what I have."

"I will be checking up on you!" Tanis waved a hand back towards the jedi as he headed for Anchorhead.

Logan turned around with a satisfied look on his face as he realised that he might of just saved a relationship, however it soon turned into a concerned frown as he saw the dissaproval and contempt that lay in his bond mates eye.

"That man deserved his fate and you know it!" Bastila spat, unable to keep her irritation contained any longer.

"Bas, how can you say that?" Logan's hand reached to brush the alabaster skin on her cheek, but it was batted away before it could reach its destination.

"That man was a philanderer! He hurt his wife many times and he enjoyed it! He deserves to rot, Why is it fair that others suffer and die while he gets another chance at life?" She was seething with anger, Logan needed to make her understand. Two strong hands planted themselvs on Bastila's slender shoulders, rooting her into place. Logans jade orbs were now fixed on her ice gray ones and while he spoke he never looked away. He took his time, making sure each word he spoke held significance, forcing her to see his point of view.

"Bastila Tanis was just a man, not a bad man, a foolish one yes, but not a bad one. He was not evil, the dark side had not corrupted him. The force effects every living thing in this galaxy, seeking balance in all things, holding elements of dark and light, neither side imposes its will on an ordinary being. People do not live their lives in catagories but sometimes their life takes a path they had not intended." Bastila's gaze had softened now, this gave Logan more confidence as he finished of his passionate speach. "It is the sith's job to see in absolutes Bas, not ours."

Bastila could not believe what she had just been thinkng a few moments ago, as she looked back on her anger she felt frightened.

"I...I am so sorry logan." She managed under the weight of her shame and fear. "I have no idea what came over me." Bastila's eyes were now glued to the floor for fear of finding the look of a disapproving master on her bond mates face, soon however she found she was forced to meet his gaze and what she saw brought warmth to her heart.

Hurt cut in to Logan as he felt shame run through their bond, he could see it etched on her features as well. What had the jedi done to her? This woman had been denied feelings for most of her life, she was told that they were wrong, sinful, evil. Now she had begun to feel, but instinctly felt guilt at every dark thought. He had to help her, just as she had helped him. Logan dropped to his knees and placed his hands on his bond mates hips. He looked up and smiled at her. It was a smile of understanding and compassion, nothing more, no hidden pity, no agenda. Just a genuine smile.

"Bas, there is no need to apologise, I...if you ever need to talk I am here."

"I know..you always are, and I am greatfull for it." Logan rose to his feet and brushed the back of his hand against the soft skin on her cheek.

"I will always be here for you...come on we should make are way to the sand peoples settlement."


	16. Chapter 13

**ANOTHER CHAPTER! I hope people are enjoying the story PLEEEAAASE review it really helps me. Oh and happy new year!**

Bastila's willpower was stretched to the limit. She was applying all of it to suppressing the vomit that was threatening to erupt from her mouth. She held her breath and swallowed hard as she fought down the nausea, but she was loosing the battle. It was the stench that had done this to her, the stink of sweat and aggression, not that of a man, nor a beast. It was overwhelming. Bastila tore off her head gear as she lost her struggle and retched.

Logan knelt down beside his companion and tenderly rubbed her back.

"I...I am sorry.." Bastila forced between raspy breaths. "I just cant. I cant wear that thing."

"Hey, it's OK." Logan gently replied while handing over her bottle of water. Bastila breathed a sigh of relief as the refreshing liquid washed away all traces of the penetrating aroma coming from the sand peoples mask.

"I will go back to the ship, I...I just cant do it." Logan slid his fingers under his bond mates chin and tilted her head towards him. He noticed the look of defeat in her beautiful eyes.

_"It's not just about the smell is it?"_ The young jedi thought to himself, he didn't want to make Bastila any more uncomfortable by bringing up her father and immediately dismissed the idea. "The Bastila I know wouldn't let a bad smell get in the way of a mission." Logan confidently stated, as an attempt to instil a sense of confidence in his partner. Bastila managed a weak smile, she was better than this, she was stronger than this. She was a jedi. Determination became her crutch as she rose on unreliable legs.

"Yes... you are right, I am stronger than this." She took another swig from her bottle and thrust the mask back on. A muffled thank you came from under the bandages and tusks. Logan was glad Bastila couldn't see the smile that had spread across his face, or the concern that still swam in his eyes. He pondered over that concern for a moment longer before joining his party and continuing to the sand peoples enclave.

"STICK TO THIS SIDE!" Logan hissed from under his mask, Bastila had wandered too close to a sand person for his liking. He was sure they would see through these disguises close up and he didn't want to fight these creatures unless it was absolutely necessary. The sand person in question grunted and waved his gaffi stick at the party. Logan hesitated and waved his stick back, he made no attempt to imitate the unique noise that the sand people produced however. A few moments later HK stopped and turned to the jedi.

"**Hushed Statement: **Master we seem to have arrived at the settlement."

"What? How do you know that?" Bastila interjected before Logan could speak.

"**Glib Reply:** Because of that heavily guarded door." The droid pointed towards an intimidating sight, a large, wooden, barbaric looking door was placed behind six menacing turrets, this had Tusken Raider written all over it. The party crept up to the door, trying to be as discreet as possible.

"I really hope those turrets are inactive." The muffled voice of Logan spoke, he breathed a sigh of relief when they slipped past the entrance without a fire fight, he soon found the relief quickly died. As the party walked through the entrance, they found themselves face to face with a very shocked Tusken Raider. A series of growls and grunts of varying pitches were thrown at them. Logan blinked under his mask, in shock before HK's voice illuminated the room.

"**Statement: **Master, I did in fact understand that, although I don't believe he wanted to communicate with us. What an extraordinary little language...I'm sorry I digress. He is very surprised we made it this far and is unsure of weather to kill us or not. Shall I tell him to try?"

"NO! Tell him we come in piece!"

"**Snide Jab:**Oh, how original! Very well**." **The machine imitated the noise of the sand people perfectly, Logan just hoped it would have the desired effect. The Raider responded once HK was finished, this time making much louder noises, it didn't take a genius to work out the creature was angry, this was confirmed as HK replied.

"**Translation: **He is highly offended by your choice of clothing master, and that one of your kind would claim to be no threat. He finds you curious nevertheless, and feels the need to present you to his chieftain. I think it would be best if we just shot him."

"No, tell him we wont fight, we will come." HK translated his masters wishes to the creature, a moment later the Raider motioned for them to follow, they were led into a small room where they were told to remove all of their stolen possessions. The Raider barked an order to HK before leaving the room.

"**Translation: **He said he is going to inform the chieftain about us master, and spoke about the penalty if we leave this room, I suggest we leave the room, and see what happens."

"HK ENOUGH! We are not going to kill anyone, not unless there is no other option." Logan's bare back pressed against the wooden wall, he was distinctly relieved to be out of the sand people's outfit.

"_Being butchered is no less than these monsters deserve." _Bastila thought to herself, these thoughts alarmed her and she brushed them away as soon as they entered her head.

Logan was disturbed when dark thoughts about the sand people swam in his head, he was scared when he realised they weren't his own. He knew Bastila was deeply troubled by the news about her father, but was that responsible for these dark thoughts? What could he do to help her?

Before Logan could act the Raider came back and silently motioned for them to follow. The jedi and the droid walked into a large room and found themselves standing before a tall figure, much larger than any of the other sand people, this was obviously the chieftain. The chieftain let out a few low, yet clearly curious grunts, when the room fell silent Logan turned to HK.

"**Translation: **Master he seems to believe that we have been hired to kill him and his clan, he wonders why we have not attempted to fight."

"Tell him we don't want any violence, we just want the location of an ancient artefact." HK gave the chieftain his masters request, there was silence for a few moments before the reply came.

"**Translation:** He has a map which shows the location we seek master, however he is not prepared to part with it. Shall we just kill him and take it?"

"No...ask him what we can do to earn the map." As HK spoke, the leader looked surprised, surprised that these humans would bother to negotiate.

"**Translation: **He says that he is in need of moisture vaporators. If you get him 5 vaporators he will give you the map. We are free to leave but we can only renter if we have them."

"OK, tell him we will be back, then lets go."

The trio were escorted out of the enclave where most of their equipment had been dumped by the sand people, they had also strung up the disguises the jedi were wearing earlier, according to HK they did this as a warning not to disrespect them again. The two jedi changed back into their cloths silently and then the party made its way back to Anchorhead.

A few hours later the jedi and the droid walked back into the sand peoples enclave, Logan had two large circular objects under each arm, as did HK and Bastila was clutching one. They were led back into the audience room by an astonished yet distrusting guard. Logan then placed the objects on the floor and Bastila quickly followed suit.

"Tell him, tell hem we have done as he asked." Logan quickly ordered HK. The chieftain was bewildered, humans were not to be trusted, every sand person knew that, they knew no loyalty or kindness to their own people, they took from the land and did not give back. He had never experienced kindness from one before.

"**Translation:** He says he will honour his agreement and will also give you his gaffi stick as a thank you.We are also permitted to explore this camp, as long as we do not touch anything."

"Thank him but tell him we are on a tight schedule."

Logan squinted as the merciless sun hit his eyes, he was unprepared. The setting sun was melting, but glared defiantly across the desert, promising to go out in glory. The second sun was at its peak, it had no remorse, no pity for the creatures that withered under its light. Logan hated this planet, he tried to find some shade as he opened the map that would lead him to his prise. A satisfied smile spread across his face, the Eastern Dune Sea was not far, neither was the Star Map. The group waded on, noting the change in the sand and the landscape. Logan snorted in confusion and raised his fist.

"What is it?" Bastila queried.

"Look down there, we are not alone." As Logan looked down he saw a man and a Twi'lek arguing, the man then pushed the Twi'lek back and headed towards an ominous cave.

"Dammit, I'm not waiting any more! How big can this dragon of yours be?" Logan felt the hairs on his neck tingle, he had been in that cave before, that was the cave from his vision. The darkness was palpable. More so then he felt in the dream. As Logan snapped back into reality he heard a bone chilling scream, and as he looked up he saw why. A huge Krayt dragon emerged from the cave, it was far bigger than he imagined, the dragon bit the man in half and then dragged the rest of him into the darkness. The only thing Logan could think about was Bastila, he knew who she imagined that man was. He grabbed her and pulled her into a tight embrace, he felt like she was going to shatter in his arms, that made him squeeze even harder.

"He cant be...d..." Was all she could manage. He didn't say anything, he just held her.

A while later they made their way towards the Twi'lek who was still outside the cave. He seamed reasonably calm for a man who had just witnessed death. This was a concern Logan brought to the Twi'lek.

"Many people have lost their lives to this creature, I have seen it before, it is a magnificent animal but sadly too dangerous to be kept alive. He must be dealt with."

"And I assume you have a plan?" Logan stated dryly.

"Indeed I do. I have laced this path with mines, we need only to draw the dragon out with those Bantha's using this fodder. When I suggested this to Salim, well you saw his reaction."

"Right, we'll go get the Bantha's." Logan waved the fodder in front of a group of Bantha's while Bastila tried to heard them from the rear. Logan stole a glance in Bastila's direction and couldn't suppress a snort of laughter.

"I take it they don't have many shepherds on Talravin?" Logan chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood. He saw a flash of white teeth and a flicker of blue. Was that a smile, a genuine smile? He had to look again. What he saw this time caused his smile to die and his lightsaber to leap into his hand.

"RAIDERS!" He shouted at the top of his voice. Seven Elite Tusken Raiders were charging at Logan and Bastila, two more were hanging back with rifles. Three of the Raiders were focusing on Bastila, and four on Logan. Immediately HK pulled his new rifle from his back, he was stood with the Twi'lek and quite far from the fight but this weapon was beautifully designed and suitable for most endeavours. HK took great pleasure in peering into his scope, he lined up perfectly and then he waited for the slightest movement, when it happened...BOOM! The energy bolt was travelling through the air faster than most could detect. It quickly found its target and passed through the Raiders brain, unfortunately for the sand people it killed another as well. The two sniper Raiders dropped their guns and fell to the floor, their dark blood staining the desert floor.

Logan's green blade was literally a blur, gaffi sticks were being thrust in all directions but one by one the raiders fell. The smell of burnt flesh was magnified by the heat as limbs littered the floor.

Bastila had cut down two of her foes but the third one was being stubborn, her movement was beginning to become glistened with anger. A gaffi stick was thrust into her face, a move which she could not block in time. Bastila stumbled backwards as blood poured from her nose. Something snapped inside her, her anger was uncontrollable, unlike anything before, her only thought was to inflict pain. Bastila charged towards the Raider and slid past its slow jab, she used her blade to slice all of its limbs off. The creature squealed in pain, what was left of its body writhed in agony in the sand. Bastila stood over its body and deactivated her blade. Without thinking she stretched her hand out and pulled.

Logan could hear a blood curdling squeal coming from his left, when he looked he couldn't believe what he saw. Bastila was using the force to crush the internal organs of the Raider.

"NO!" He ran towards her and used the force to pull her to the ground. Logan threw himself on top of her and pinned her there.

"BASTILA WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Logan forced their eyes to meet. At first he was scared he had lost her, those eyes he loved seemed as black as midnight. Soon they began to change, she began to change back into his Bastila.

Realisation slowly made its way into Bastila's mind. Her anger was gone and all she was left with was hurt and disgust. How could she do such a wicked thing?

"I...I don't know what to say." she mumbled under a cascade of tears. Logan pulled her to her feet and looked into her eyes once more. She found no judgement or disgust in his eyes, just warmth and concern, even now, even after what she had done. Logan held her tightly and whispered in her ear.

"Its OK Bas, I'm here. You don't have to say anything. You going to be all right, I promise."

After they parted, they looked down at the mangled body of the Raider, he was dead. Bastila was in pieces, she had spent so long lecturing others about the dark side and now she had fallen pray to it. Logan heard his bond mates thoughts and turned to her. He gripped her face in his hands and made sure she was listening, but she was falling apart before him.

"Bas listen to me! You haven't fallen to the dark side!" She sunk to her knees, inconsolable.

"I have! I murdered that creature, I tortured it and I wanted to, I wanted to hurt it! What does that tell you?" Logan dropped to her level, refusing to give up.

"It tells me that you are human, these are normal emotions Bas, you just need help controlling them and understanding them." Logan leaned in closer and pressed his forehead against hers."Let me help you, take strength from our bond...One act does not condemn you, its how you deal with the consequences that defines you, if you were truly on the path to darkness I don't think you would be feeling like you do...I am here, let me help." Bastila held him so tight, scared to let go, he was her lifeline.

The heard of Bantha's shook the ground as they were coaxed into position, but eventually it was done. The Twi'lek clapped his hand together and moved back.

"Good, good. Now everyone get back! He will come soon." Darkness came closer as the dragon slowly moved forward, its red eyes set on the Bantha in front of it, however as the creatures foot stepped out of his lair, it was soon no more. The detonator it stepped on created a chain reaction and the dragon was swallowed up in a massive explosion. Logan ignored the dragon or the hunter and ventured into the cave. The darkness was overwhelming, but like in his vision a light drew him further in. At last, it was the Star Map. Logan sighed as he downloaded the contents onto his data pad then he stopped. The young jedi could feel a faint tremor in the force, it was nothing really but it was familiar, he quickly realised what it was. A body lay on the floor, there were many but this one, was different.

"Bastila." She knew immediately, her heart was in her feet, but she needed to see. Logan could hear her heavy breathing as her eyes met the mangled body of her father.

"No...It cant be...f...father." She knelt beside him and whispered in his ear. "I love you." Her heart was utterly broken, the only person that she had ever loved, and the only person who had ever loved her, was gone, Logan handed her the holocron, when he caught a glimpse of her face it broke his heart.

"Bas...I...I'm sorry." He went to comfort her but was pushed away "Bas I ju.."

"No don't, just get away from me...no..DONT TOUCH ME!" She screamed, tears running down her face. :Logan was shocked and stepped back. "I DONT WANT YOU! LEAVE ME ALONE!"


	17. Chapter 14

Grief ran through Logan's veins as surely as his blood did, loneliness completely overwhelmed his thoughts, he felt as if he was dissolving in misery. Alongside despair there was something else, anger, and it was directed at one person. All of this was her fault, he hated her for it.

Logan rubbed his temples in confusion, he knew these thoughts and emotions were Bastila's. Their bond was open but she wouldn't let him help her, as soon as they got back to the Ebon Hawk she shut herself in her room. He didn't believe that she wanted to be alone, it was his job, his purpose to comfort and protect her. He would not fail.

Logan soon found himself outside Bastila's door, he could hear her muffled sobs, her pain was echoing round his head.

Taking a deep breath, he silenced his thoughts and worked up the courage to knock on her door.

Bastila felt as if her heart had been ripped out, the pain was unbelievable. She hated her mother for this, if she hadn't pushed her father into treasure hunting he would still be alive. There was no way to stop the hurt.

Bastila could feel Logan through their bond, try as she might she couldn't bring herself to cut him off. Why did she reject him before? She didn't know, it was her gut reaction. She didn't want to give in to emotion, to appear weak. As she lay on her bed, quietly despairing into her pillow, she began to realise that she had made a terrible mistake. She had sent him away, the only person in the galaxy who made her feel human, who made her _feel_.

A soft knock at the door interrupted Bastila's thoughts, her tears quickly ceased and she proceeded to the door, praying it would be him.

Logan rubbed his hands together nervously, he was desperate to see if she was all right. She may not want him, but she needed help and he would give it unconditionally. Logan tensed as the door slowly opened and his bond mates face became visible.

His heart was breaking at the sight of her, those pale features he adored were stained with countless tears, but it was her eyes that showed her true pain. That mysterious shade of blue that he loved so much seemed to be diluted, they seemed to be screaming out for help.

Bastila had opened the door fully now but she was lost for words. After a long silence she eventually spoke.

"Yes?" Was all she could muster. Logan seemed equally stunted, he left Bastila hanging for a while before he eventually managed to string half a sentence together.

"Bas...I, I just wanted to...Well, Well I..." It didn't seem right, he couldn't convey what he wanted to with a sentence. Without thinking, Logan stepped forward and pulled Bastila into a tight embrace, that action said it all. Bastila immersed herself in the comfort Logan provided, she squeezed him tighter, unwilling to let go, something which he reciprocated.

Guilt spread across Bastila like a rash, she kept hurting him and he kept coming back. She pulled him closer and whispered two words in his ear.

"I'm sorry.."

"What for?" Logan, queried, pulling back and looking very confused.

"For everything...earlier, back in the cave. I, I jus..." Logan stopped her before she could continue, determined to make her understand.

"Bas, you have nothing to be sorry about. You have just lost your father, its only natural that you should be upset...You've done more for me than you know, I just hope I can return the favour." Bastila managed a sad smile before replying.

"Thank you for being so understanding, I know many jedi who wouldn't be."

"Well that's their problem." Logan said quietly while moving closer. "Bas...do you want to talk about today?"

"Not really." Her eyes began to sting as a fresh wave of tears slid down her face. "I just wish that I could speak to him one last time." Bastila broke into an uncontrollable fit of tears and slumped to the floor as her grief overwhelmed her. Logan joined her their, willingly sharing her pain.

"I'm here for you." He whispered, slipping his arm around her shoulder. Bastila buried her face in his chest and moved in closer. Their bodies fitted together perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle. Lying in his arms seemed to make her problems melt, was she supposed to feel this confused? One minuet she was seething with anger, the next she was hysterical. Only Logan made sense.

"Bas?" She tilted her head up to meet his gaze while keeping herself as close to him as possible.

"Yes?"

"What are you going to do about the holocron?" He could feel her unease grow as he asked the question, but that was why they needed to talk about it. If she didn't resolve things with her mother she would regret it for the rest of her life.

"I...I don't know." She shifted uncomfortably, pulling back from his embrace. "I don't want to give it to her." Logan reluctantly let go but continued to quiz her.

"Why not?"

"Because she doesn't deserve it, all of this is her fault, if she hadn't sent him on those hunts he would still be here, I hate her for that."

"Bas...don't you think you should speak to her before making a decision? I don't want you to throw away a chance to build a relationship with your mother on a whim, not everyone gets a second chance." she could see the logic behind his words, his genuine concern warmed her heart. If she was honest with herself she wanted more answers and her mother was the only one who could give them.

"Will you go with me?" Logan smiled inwardly, she wanted him to be there for her.

"If you want me to."

"I do." She wrapped herself around him as his large arm resumed its perch on her shoulder. Bastila took in Logan's scent and smiled inwardly, she found herself wondering if Logan was referring to himself before. She tightened her grip on his waist before asking.

"Logan?"

"Yes?"

"Were you talking about yourself when you spoke about second chances?" Bastila felt him stiffen as she asked the question, there was a long silence before he replied.

"I've missed a lot of chances...its not important." He struggled to his feet and proceed to the door.

"Logan...please."

What do you want me to say Bastila? Do you want me to give you a run through of my life?" She stayed silent. There was no way to sugar coat his life, it would take too long, painting over the cracks would be too painful. He decided to give her something.

"I fell in love with a girl, I could of saved her... but she died. Is that what you wanted to hear?" His eyes were sparkling as tears rested on his lids.

"I don't want to talk about this any more." Logan turned and headed for his dormitory.

Bastila found a mixture of emotions floating in her mind, she was devastated for Logan, she didn't realise how much pain he was forced to carry round with him. She was also disturbed by her jealousy, he loved someone else, thought about them, craved them. She couldn't stop herself from fixating on it.

"Logan wait!" She ran out into the corridor, determined to get more answers.

"Bastila, there is nothing to say, that was the past. This mission is my second chance." She looked up at his face, the dim lights made his green eyes look darker than usual, but the pain that lay there was obvious.

"What was her name." Logan hesitated before replying, he didn't feel comfortable talking about this, especially to Bastila. The truth was that Bastila was the most fantastic woman he had ever met and he didn't want to scare her off by talking about a lost romance.

"Louisa."

"You loved her?" He took a step towards Bastila and made sure she knew what he meant when he spoke.

"Not as much as I thought I did." She knew he meant every word. Was she crazy, was she allowing herself to fall for him?

"Anyway, you should get some sleep. Its been a long day."

"Yes, yes your right." Before Logan left, he planted a tender kiss on her forehead. Her eyes followed him as he wandered round the corner. She sighed as the longing began to set in. Why was she fooling herself? They couldn't be together, it was impossible. If the masters ever found out they would both be expelled, was it worth it? Bastila decided to leave those questions for another day and headed to her bunk, she wasn't looking forward to speaking to her mother but it had to be done.

The poor lighting of the canteena was a stark contrast to the offensive blaze of the Tatooine suns. Bastila clasped Logan's hand as they approached Helena.

"_Don't leave me." _She whispered through their bond. Logan squeezed her reassuringly before replying.

"_Never."_

"I take It you found the holocron?"

"We found it but..." She glanced over at Logan, then at the tiny cube in her hand, the only connection to her father. "Here take it." Helena smiled sadly at her daughter.

"Bastila, the holocron is for you...Your father and I were so proud of you when you were chosen for the academy, but we knew that we wouldn't be able to contact you, so he kept that with him always, leaving messages, things that he wanted to say to you, but couldn't. He left instructions in his will that his holocron was for you when he died." Any resentment Bastila held for her mother quickly dissolved, but soon a pang of concern leapt up.

"Were you telling the truth earlier? Are you dying?"

"Yes my dear, is true. That's the reason your father went on the treasure hunt, to pay for my treatments. I begged him not to, but he was so stubborn, just like his daughter.

"I...I had no idea. I'm sorry."Bastila pulled out a few credit chips from her belt and handed them to her mother.

"Here, this is all I have. Go to Coruscant and see a doctor there. I want to talk more; I'll come there after I'm finished with my mission." Helena looked ready to protest, but bit her tongue and instead pulled her daughter into a long overdue hug and whispered in her ear.

"I love you Bastila...and it looks as if your friend does as well." Bastila's eyes widened in realisation, but she was wrong, she had to be. Helena looked into her daughters eyes once more before turning to Logan.

"You take care of my daughter, you hear me?" As if on cue he slipped his hand under Bastila's and kissed it.

"Of course." Bastila gave her mother one last smile before heading with Logan back to the Ebon Hawk.

A weathered face lit up Bastila's room, the silvery glow illuminated her face. A smile had formed on her pale features as her fathers voice mumbled about different things, but all too soon it was over. Bastila found herself watching the holocron again and again. She didn't know how long she had been there, she didn't care. The only thing that disturbed her thoughts was a knock at the door. Logan broke the silence as he voiced his concern at his bond mates increased isolation,

"Bas...are you OK in there?"

"Yes , I'm fine."

"I don't believe you." There was silence for a few moments before Bastila opened the door.

"Can I help you?" Logan shifted uncomfortably before replying, he could see the opened holocron on her bed. This kind of behaviour wasn't healthy.

"Bas...you've been in here for quite a while. Are you sure you're OK?" The galaxy seemed to crash on top of her, how could she be OK?

"No... I'm not . But I will be in time."

"We will be coming up on Kashyyk soon. Do you want me to go?"

"No, please don't go...just hold me."

And he did.


	18. Reader update 4

Hello readers! just to let people know another chapter is on the way soon! Most of my time has been taken up with painting so I haven't had much of an opportunity to work on it until recently but I am determined to see this through to the end! Please keep reading and reviewing, it spurs me on to know that people are enjoying my story!


	19. Chapter 15

As Logan stepped off the Ebon Hawk, he breathed in the fresh night air of Kashyyyk. He was struck by the quiet beauty of it all, the colossal Wroshyr trees made for a truly spectacular sight, they added a tumultuous feel to the otherwise stark landscape. He had been here once before, but had never taken in the life force, this time it was different. There was an untamed majesty about this place, he could sense the billions of hearts beating together to form an unbreakable current of life. But there was something wrong. He could feel it in the air, it was so palpable he could almost smell it, taste it. There was great fear, great suffering here.

Before Logan could step any further, a huge paw engulfed his shoulder and halted his progress. The young jedi was unsurprised to find Zaalbar behind him. Wookie's were difficult to read, at least for humans, but even Logan could tell that he was not glad to be back on his home planet.

"Is something troubling you Zaalbar?" The gigantic Wookie shifted uncomfortably before letting out a few grunts.

"*I shouldn't be here.*" Logan blinked a few times before replying.

"Well, you're blunt."

"*I am not welcome here. I am a Mad claw, an outcast.*" The young jedi rubbed the back of his neck in frustration, he needed Zaalbar as a guide. Only a Wookie could possibly hope to navigate the shadowy depths of this incredible planet successfully and he didn't feel that the locals would be particularly welcoming, however Logan could tell that Zaalbar was very uncomfortable. He knew it was unwise to have any unfocused people in his squad and he didn't want to put anyone at risk. Logan briefly contemplated asking the Wookie what he had done to be cast out, but he suspected that the answer would appear in time.

"I wont ask you to tell me anything you don't want to Zaalbar, if you feel that you would be a liability you don't have to come."

"*Thank you.*" Was the only reply Logan got. Leaving the Wookie to return to the ship, the jedi continued along the docking platform closely flanked by Juhani and Bastila. In truth Logan was unsure about bringing Juhani along, the young Cathar had briefly fallen to the Dark Side and tried to kill Logan back on Dantooine. Juhani was redeemed but the anger was still there, just under the surface. It didn't help that her people were naturally an aggressive warrior race, putting this aside Logan shrugged to himself and decided that this mission would be a good test of her abilities and her will. Bastila on the other hand, Logan couldn't imagine not bringing her. He felt stronger when she was near and he was sure she felt the same, besides, it was better she was near him than shut in her chambers with that holocron for countless hours.

The trio made their way to the edge of the docking platform, but before they could go any further they were stopped by an Ithorian dock worker, Logan gritted his teeth and smiled politely as he prepared himself for the inevitable.

"Greetings sentient and welcome to G5-623, planet Edean. I am afraid that there is an 100 credit docking fee before I can offer you any assistance."

"G5-623? Planet Edean?" Logan started, completely brushing aside the matter of money. "I was under the impression that this planet was called Kashyyyk."

"That is what the natives call it, however when civilisation comes to think of this planet, they shall know it as Edean. Now, the small matter of the docking fee please." The Ithorian stretched his hand out, those reedy fingers practically quivering with anticipation at the possibility of money. The young jedi snarled, absolutely disgusted with the creature in front of him. The suffering here was so unbearable and all this Ithorian cared about was credits? Logan sighed and waved his hand in front of the creature as he spoke.

"We don't have to pay the docking fee." The Ithorian replied in a similar monotone voice to which the jedi had previously adopted.

"You don't have to pay the docking fee."

"Good." Logan said, in a much more lively voice than what he had used previously. This left the Ithorian temporarily confused, giving Logan time to decide on the best way to proceed.

"We need information, I assume Czerka can be of assistance." He stated matter of factly, leaving no room for any hesitation.

"Right, if you'll follow me to the Czerka office, I will provide you with the assistance you require, and supplies if you need." the jedi accompanied the Ithorian to a small hut not far from the docking platform. Once inside they were led into the back room, what Logan then saw made his pulse quicken. The blood in his veins seemed to turn to acid, hatred built up inside him as he looked on at the abominable sight.

There was a beast cage in the corner of the room, inside was a Wookie, he was clearly emaciated. The body language of this poor creature said it all, he had given up all hope, given up on life. His eyes confirmed this.

"Would you like us to provide a translator for you?" The Ithorian spoke, completely unaware of Logan's disgust. "It is a primitive language, very difficult to understand. We don't have any of the beasts currently in stock but I can put one on reserve for you."

Logan slowly turned to face the Ithorian, it took all of his willpower not to rip the life from him.

"What is this poor creature doing in a cage?" He hissed through gritted teeth..

"That Wookie got out of hand, he had to be controlled."

"YOU BASTARD! THEIR SLAVERS!" Juhani snarled, her hand quickly moving towards her lightsaber. Logan raised a hand to halt her progress but her outburst had already attracted the attention of the whole hut, including Czerka's security guards.

"Me? No, not personally...but Czerka corporation is interested in utilizing all resources on this planet." It was Bastila's turn to express her disgust now, not taking her eyes of the slave as she spoke

"These Wookie's are not tools to be tossed around so carelessly, they are living breathing things, just like you or I!"

"It wasn't me who captured this Wookie, and anything that this company does is perfectly legal on this world I can assure you."

"On who's authority?" The husky voice of Logan spoke, his eyes staring daggers at the Ithorian all the while.

"On the authority of the village leader, Chuundar."

"He cares so little for his people that he hands them out like pieces of candy?"

"Oh no, he does not give them to us freely, in exchange for providing him with weapons and other necessities, we get a plentiful supply of Wookie's."

"Where can I find this Chuundar?"

"There is a village to the north of here, along the rout of the the Great Walkway." Logan spared a heart wrenching glance at the Wookie in the cage, knowing there was nothing he could do for the creature at the moment, he hardened his resolve and vowed to ease the suffering on this planet.

As Logan paced out of the hut, preceding in the direction of the Great Walkway, a strange combination of emotions swelled within him. Hatred, blind hatred directed towards Czerka. How could people think that this was OK? It would never be OK. Frustration, there was nothing he could do to help the poor Wookie he had just seen, the most he could hope for was that he could end Czerka's grip on the planet and all slaves would be released. These emotions would be normal for anyone in his situation, however he didn't quite understand why he had a feeling of anticipation and excitement as well.

Before Logan could contemplate his situation further, a slender hand pressed itself into his shoulder. He slowly traced the hand to the source of its owner and smiled as his eyes met Bastila's

"I can feel your anger." She began, her melodic voice held a pang of concern. "Are you all right?" Logan's frustration came to the surface in the form of an exasperated sigh. He traipsed over to the edge of the walkway and stared down into the mysterious depths of the Shadowlands.

"There is so much suffering on this planet Bas, How can anyone be all right? There was nothing I could do for the Wookie in there...I jut felt useless..." She joined her Bond Mate on the walkway, quietly listening as he spoke, not just to his voice but to his thoughts and feelings as well. "How can people have such a lack of compassion? Of Morality?"

Bastila turned to face Logan, he had a look of hopelessness in his gorgeously green eyes, this was something that she never expected to find there. She cupped his face in her hands, running her fingers along his skin. She smiled inwardly at the pleasure she found from touching him and pressed her hands deeper into his face.

"I know what your thinking, but we cannot give up hope, this galaxy is still worth fighting for." Logan pulled one of Bastila's delicate hands from his face and rubbed it tenderly, an act that made her tingle. His orbs then fixed on hers with a gaze that was so intense and unrelenting she found herself ready to give in to whatever he desired.

"Bastila, I promise will end the suffering here, I'll stop Czerka and this Chuundar."

"I know you will." Logan soon found that his anger had dissipated and had been replaced by a feeling of warmth. Their moment was quickly squashed however, when the exotic accent of Juhani could be heard approaching. Bastila pulled away quickly, much to the confusion of Logan, leaving him annoyed at the realisation that Bastila was unwilling to admit to anyone that she had feelings for him.

"Are we ready to move out?" the Cathar queried. Logan nodded and quickly turned on his heel, leading the trio to a huge gate guarded buy two men.

"Where do you think you're going?" The elder of the two guards asked, his cavalier demeanour seemed to confirm all of Logan's preconceptions about Czerka and the kind of people it employed, though he knew it was unwise to think in these most credulous of terms and tried his best to repress it.

"None of your business." Logan retorted, his instant animosity for the man plain for all to see.

"Hey, I don't care if you get torn to shreds by the beasts on this planet, but I've been employed to warn people. It's dangerous out there, so let it be known that I warned you. The Wookies get rid of some of the kinrath, but I swear they leave some packs intact, just hoping a Czerka employee will get killed." Logan paused briefly, staring directly into the man's eyes.

"You're surprised, really? After what you and your kind have done to this planet I cant say I blame them!" Before the guard could respond, the jedi pushed passed him and continued on.

As soon as the gate behind them closed, a pack of vicious looking creatures known as kinrath appeared, and the three jedi immediately sprang into action. These were flimsy looking creatures, but their bite was defiantly worse than their bark. One sting from the poisonous venom they wielded could render a person temporally paralysed. Logan gripped one of the beasts with the force, lifting it high off the ground and throwing it over the side of the walkway. He spun round, lightsaber ready and observed Juhani leaping on to a kinrath's back, she then plunged her blue blade deep inside its flesh, severing a majority of its spinal nerves and also severing its connection to life.

After the battle was over Logan eyed Juhani with a look of approval.

"That was very impressive, your abilities have definitely matured from when I first met you on Dantooine." She smiled, her face held a mixture of pride and embarrassment, both from the unexpected complement and from who gave it.

"I thank you for your kind words...I do feel as if I have more control over my self now." She purred, the soft fur on her face doing little to hide the blush that had spread across her skin, much to the annoyance of Bastila. Logan continued on, seemingly unaware of the effect he had on the young Cathar.

The group did not speak for a while, each taking in the sheer majesty of the Great walkway. The Wroshyr seemed even larger out here, the huge branches each doing their bit to blot out the sky.

"WHO ARE YOU?" An agitated voice shouted, drawing each of the jedi out of their stupors. Its owner stood over the dead body of a Wookie, accompanied by two other men.

"Bloody Czerka." Logan muttered under his breath as he approached.

"What do you want? We did nothing wrong!" A second man spoke.

"A guilty man defends himself before he is accused." Logan spat, his disgust growing by the second. "Let me guess, this Wookie got a little to rebellious?"

"Yes that's right, he..he attacked us and had to be put down."

"You murdered him!" Juhani screamed, unable to keep her calm. Two of the men slowly reached for their weapons before the captain cut them off.

"Put them down you trigger happy idiots! No one needs to get hurt do they? Killing civilians is a lot of paperwork I don't want to deal with. Now you cant prove any thing so why don't you run along before we 'put you down' as well."

"You and your men should report yourselves, and let this poor creature have some justice." Logan was becoming adept at influencing the thoughts of others. Entering their minds and gently moving things, slowly imposing his will on theirs was something he found he had a natural talent for, and quite enjoyed.

"Yeah...yeah you're right, I think...me and my men should report ourselves...and let that poor creature have some justice. That's a good idea. Men, let's go." Logan smiled as they left, satisfied that he had performed a good deed.

"I am not sure that was a good idea." Bastila spoke softly, slightly less irritated by his use of the jedi mind trick than she used to be.

"It was either that or kill them. Too much blood has been spilt on this planet already I sense."

"Yes, maybe you're right." Her blue eyes sparkled in the soft light, Logan found himself completely lost. Every time he looked at her he was blown away by her beauty, and dragging himself away was becoming increasingly difficult.

"We should get moving." Juhani stated after she had finished looting the body of the Wookie.

"Yes...yes you're right, did you find out who he was?"

"No, the only thing I found were these medpacks."

"Right," Logan began as he started walking. "Lets hope we don't have to use them." Bastila bit her lip as she suppressed a wave of anger. That was the second time Juhani interrupted one of their moments. She had seen how her face lit up whenever he approached her. Juhani couldn't have him.

As the trio were about to round another corner, Logan stopped dead in his tracks.

"Sith!" He whispered.

"Are you sure? I can't sense anything" Juhani queried while reaching for her lightsaber.

"They are masking their auras."

"I sense four." Bastila whispered, her eyes closed as she tapped into the force to dig them out.

"Right..." Logan sighed, stepping forwards with Juhani and Bastila flanking him. "Lets not keep them waiting."


	20. Chapter 16

**Another chapter hooray! A big thanks to those who read my story, I hope you are enjoying it. Please review! It helps and motivates me to write more!**

Three cloaks fell to the floor, kicking up a swirl of dust as they did. The tiny particles began to twist and turn, picking up pace in the gust. The airborne dirt seemed to create a haze, a smoke screen, what was it protecting?

The leader of the sith squinted heavily, his dark sockets a huge contrast to the acid yellow burning within his skull. He could feel something lurking beyond the mysterious cloud of dust that had appeared. His brain told him it was nothing, but the slightest of tremors within the force caused a feeling of absolute dread to wash over him, a feeling which his companions were also not immune to.

Three figures slowly began to emerge from the haze, the sith then quickly realised these were the jedi they were seeking. The leader of the jedi seemed poised, centred, even calm. This was of no consequence however, he would be dead soon enough.

"Lord Malak..." The sith began, he took great pleasure in his introductions. It was so satisfying to see the look of realisation and terror on his victims face as they were told they were marked for death. "Was most disp..." Before the sith could finish his well oiled speech, he found he was being drowned out but laughter. His eyes confirmed this, though with some shock. This jedi was laughing at him, AT HIM!

"What are you laughing at scum?" Another sith barked as his grip on his lightsaber tightened, he failed to see how the message of Malak could be translated as anything other than terrifying, let alone humerus. Before Logan could even attempt to reply, he was engulfed in another wave of hysteria, leaving both the sith and his jedi companions stunned.

"It...it's just..." was all Logan could manage through laboured breaths before succumbing to his amusement again. Bastila was completely in awe of this man. Here he was, standing in front of some of the most evil people in the galaxy, not scared but amused. These men were planning on killing him and yet he saw the funny side of it, she couldn't work him out.

"Did.. did Malak make you all practice that speech together?" Logan finally said, still fighting down his urge to roar.

"Did you rehearse it until you knew it off by heart? Were you only allowed out on a mission of your own when you had memorised it?" Hatred flashed within the dark jedi's sulphur pits as Logan continued to taunt him.

"I ran into a sith not dissimilar from you on Tatooine, and this is what he sad to me." Logan mockingly cleared his throat, but this did little to draw the sith from their shock induced stupors.

"Lord Malak was most displeased when he learned you had escaped Taris alive! He has promised a great reward to whomever destroys you! There..." He finished with a grin, but his was not an amused face any more. His smile was now a statement of anticipation for the battle that was about to follow, his green orb's were filled with revulsion, directed towards the vessels of hatred before him. "Was that close?"

A blood curdling scream erupted from the sith as he leaped at Logan in a battle haze. The jedi's green blade burst into action with a crackling zip, batting away the aggressive swipe from the sith and countering with a flurry of his own. He pushed forwards, trying overpower his enemy and end the fight quickly, but no, this one was too clever for that.

Juhani tossed her blade at the sith on the left causing him to stumble backwards and granting her a way in. Her Cathar blood gave her a natural affinity for battle many species did not posses, this, combined with her jedi training made her an absolute terror on the battlefield as this dark jedi was about to find out.

Logan slid by his opponents jab, flicking his blade as he moved. A controlled hiss escaped the sith's lips, letting the jedi know he had scored a hit. The sith was not dead yet however, and slashed his blade at the jedi a few times before retreating. Logan smiled to himself as his opponent moved into a defensive stance, his crimson blade casting an unforgiving light on an already disfigured face. Logan decided to end this quickly and charged at the sith. He kept his head low and his emerald weapon behind him, he smiled to see that the fool reacted just as he predicted. The sith raised his blade to block Logan's supposed swing, but was confused to find he was met with no resistance, Logan however, was already on the move. As soon as the sith had raised his blade Logan turned, he span to the right with such speed and elegance, a fluidity that seemed to come natural to him. As he did this he sunk his sabre deep within his enemy's flesh rendering him lifeless within moments. Logan then preceded to turn his attention fully on the sith that had been stalking him, his low lightsaber stance indicated his vulnerability to force attacks, something which the young jedi intended to take full advantage of.

Before the sith could bring up his defences, he felt his aura being squashed completely and utterly. He soon found himself metres above the ground, suspended in mid air. The jedi looked at him intently, as if he were about to dissect him in a lab. With a flick of the wrist from Logan, the sith soon found himself sailing towards a tree, before descending into nothingness.

Bastila found herself being pushed further back, she was never truly comfortable with duelling, she felt more at one with the force than with her lightsaber, the sith she was facing was taking full advantage of this, it seemed. Red heat was being hurled down harder and faster, her defences were barely holding, she tried desperately but ultimately in vain to force push him away, it was too late now, she was too slow.

As she felt the deafening blow closing in, she could think only of Logan, how she regretted not being with him more, not letting him know how she truly felt,this was it, the end of it all.

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRR!" Logan dropped to his knees, clutching his left arm, absolutely blinded by pain, it felt as if he had dipped his arm in lava, but he quickly realised why.

His blood turned to ice as he saw Bastila on her knees, a dark jedi was looming over her, ready to strike.

A rage began to burn beneath Logan's skin, how dare this sith try to hurt _his_ Bastila, he couldn't take her.

"_No you can't have her! She's mine!"_ He thought to himself. Logan snatched the air with his fist and gripped it hard. He was pulling at the sith's life essence, dominating it completely.

The sith dropped his blade and began to claw at his chest, Bastila looked on in terror as she watched him clamber for air that was no longer available. Logan wanted to make this thing suffer, he wanted to draw his death out for as long as possible, but his only concern was for Bastila. Without so much as an afterthought, Logan clenched his fist, snuffing his enemy's life out with unnatural ease. He waved his hand to the side, tossing the sith's carcass across the walkway.

"BASTILA!" Logan grunted while dragging himself towards her, completely ignoring the lifeless remains of the sith.

"I...I'm all right." She insisted, not wanting to acknowledge just how close she had come to death.

"No you're not." His voice was deadly serious and left no room for debate. He was completely different to the man who helped her in the jedi ruins on Dantooine. There was fear in Logan's eyes, no mischievous twinkle, just absolute fear.

Logan took her arm and carefully rolled up her sleeve, he blanched at the monstrous gash that was revealed. He could tell that she was trying to block him out, shield him from the pain and therefore shoulder it all herself, but he couldn't let her suffer. Logan pushed through her mental barriers, willingly sharing in her suffering in order to bring her some comfort.

"Take strength form me Bastila." He whispered as he placed his hands over the wound. A light glow surrounded his hands, and began to pulse through his veins as he began to mend her torn flesh.

Bastila let out a sigh of relief as the pain ebbed away, in a few more moments the wound was completely gone.

"I thought I'd lost you." He whispered, rubbing the freshly healed skin on her arm. She could feel the apprehension that still plagued his thoughts, the knowledge of his genuine affection touched her.

She took his face in her hands and soothed his spirit with a smile.

"I'm safe now. Thanks to you." Logan pulled her into a tight embrace, vowing to himself to never let anyone hurt her again. Bastila wrapped her arms around his shoulders without a second thought, reciprocating his display of affection. Being held like this, it just felt right. The sheer magnitude of what they were up against seemed to be meaningless when she was in his arms.

"Er, Logan..." Juhani coughed, interrupting her companions tender moment. Logan sighed and reluctantly pulled away from his bond mate.

"What?"

"We have company." As Logan turned, he was greeted by a menacing sight. A huge Wookie was storming up to them, letting out a series of barks of varying tones,.Logan struggled to make it all out , but he could tell that this creature was angry.

"*OUR PLANTET MUST SUFFER MORE INDIGNETIES AT THE HANDS OF YOUR KND? I should kill you where you stand for bringing the Madclaw here, you are only tolerated because Chuundar commands it.*"

"You searched my ship?" Logan hesitantly queried while helping Bastila rise.

"*You need not worry, outsider. The Madclaw is our only concern, every thing else is still in tact.*"

"If you've harmed him..."

"*The Madclaw is safe...for now. As soon as Chuundar allows it, he will die.*"

"Can you take me to this Chuundar?"

"*You are fortunate, he wishes to speak to you.*" The Wookie motioned for the party to follow. They were led along the walkway and eventually into the village of Rwookrrorro. Logan could feel the mistrust and hatred steaming off the inhabitants. Wookie's were not subtle creatures at the best of times, it felt like the entire village was watching him. He didn't blame them, their mistrust of outsiders was completely understandable, considering the way they had been treated.

Logan felt truly privileged to be allowed inside this magical place, even if he was not wanted or welcome. The lush forest world below seemed to cradle this quaint little village, offering its inhabitants comfort and protection, as a mother would to her young.

The jedi soon found themselves being presented to the leader of the Wookie's. He was, in Wookie standards at least, small and obviously the runt from whatever litter he was born into. A necklace, glittering with teeth and stones adorned his neck, marking him out as someone of importance. His greyish fur seemed well groomed, something which was unusual for a Wookie. There was no regal air surrounding this creature, only a slimy aura of corruption.

"*Welcome outsider, I, the mighty and wise Chuundar am chieftain of Rwookrrorro. Tell me, why do you dishonour us by bringing a Madclaw here?*" Chuundar motioned to Zaalbar, who was being held in place by two Wookie guards.

"*I am not the one who is mad, brother! You cannot lead our people, you were always the runt!*" Zaalbar barked in defiance.

"*I am not a runt! I have the peoples trust, which is more than you have.*"

"Zaalbar is your brother?" Logan interjected, trying to build up a clearer picture of the situation.

"*Yes, has he not told you what he did?*" Logan paused for a moment before answering, he did not trust this Wookie and hated indulging in anything, even a conversation, when ignorant.

"I know that he is a Madclaw."

"*He was banished for attacking me with his claws, he showed his true nature that day, he is a beast and nothing more.*"

"Why haven't you killed him then?"

"*It's simple, you. Your presence here has turned out to be most fortunate, I have a task that requires someone of skill to complete it. If you do this, your beast shall be returned to you.*"

"And if I refuse?" Chuundar glanced at his brother and didn't even hesitate as he spoke.

"*He will be killed.*"

"I'm listening, but first I want some questions answered."

"*Don't listen to him Logan! He is not to be trusted!*" Zaalbar roared as his captures tried to keep him controlled.

"*SILENCE! Now, ask your question.*" Even though Chuundar complied, Logan could tell that his patience was wavering.

"Why are you doing this, working with Czerka, trading your people as if they were worth nothing more than a credit or two?"

"*Oh, they are worth far more to me than a few of your credits. It's simple, they supply me with weapons and I provide them with Wookie's. Now, will I be forced to kill you and my dear brother here, or will you listen to my proposition?*"

Logan reluctantly listened as Chuundar saddled him with the task of descending to the Shadowlands and killing another Madclaw who had been attacking Czerka patrols.

"*You can get directions from my people, the will be able to understand you, they think that it makes them better equipped to deal with the enemy, but in reality it makes them easier to control.*" the Wookie gave a toothy grin, sadistic pleasure was visible for all to see. Logan bit his tongue, he knew it would be pointless challenging him, Chuundar noticed the disgust on the humans face however.

"*You may speak, but no one will trust a breath that passes your lips. I have had years to mould their thoughts!*"

"*You're wrong! There is one who would oppose you!*"

"*Do you speak of Freyyr, our father? The old fool is just as insane as you, he was banished a year after you left. It seems he didn't approve of my...tactics. Now,will you do this?"

"I need Zaalbar as a guide." Logan said blankly.

"No. He will stay here until the task is done, Gorwooken operates the basket that will take you into the depths of the Shadowlands. I have instructed him to allow you down there. Speak to him, and he will take you. Do not expect him to be friendly though, he hates your kind. Zaalbar and I will wait here for your return.*" Logan turned to his Wookie friend before leaving the hut.

"Don't worry Zaalbar, I'll see what I can do, just play along for now."

"*No more words! You have a mission to attend to!*" Chuundar roared as the trio made their way to the exit.

Logan stormed out of the hut, leaving Bastila and Juhani both running to catch up. His anger was so prominent, if he kept walking he couldn't act on it.

"Logan! Slow down!" Bastila shouted as she trotted along side him.

"That...monster is selling his people as slaves and we are about to do his dirty work! I swear to the force by the end of this mission I will have put my lightsaber through him, and all who support him!"

"You don't mean that." Bastila whispered, taken aback by his anger.

"YES I DO!" She looked deep within him as he barked the answer. His normally vivid eyes had now been reduced to a darker, more mysterious tone. This mystery concerned Bastila, his anger was deeply unsettling, if understandable. The helplessness was back, it was as if the suffering of this planet was polluting his soul.

The look of worry etched on her features made him very uneasy, but he knew she was right.

"I'm sorry...you're right. It's just...what if we cant help this planet? What if he has won?"

She put a comforting hand on his arm as they carried on down the path.

"Do you remember what you said to me earlier?" A solemn smile found its way onto his face as he recited the pledge he had previously made.

"I promise, I will end the suffering here, I'll stop Czerka and Chuundar." She squeezed his arm tenderly as resolve instilled itself within him once more.

"That is how I know that we can save this planet."

"*You are the human Chuundar has sent to deal with the traitorous Madclaw?*" A voice growled in the darkness, its animosity towards the jedi was perfectly clear. The owner of the voice soon became visible, the Wookie Gorwooken was standing next to the basket that would be their means of transportation to the Shadowlands.

"*I doubt you will live long enough to complete this task.*"

"Just lower the basket."

"*Very well, outsider. The descent is long to the Nother World, and you must be still, or we will attract the attention of...unwanted guests.*"

The jedi stepped into the wooden lift and began their slow decent. Gradually sunlight's reach retreated, until they were looking into total and utter darkness.


	21. Chapter 17

**Yey another chapter! Sorry it's been so long, but I have been very busy. I have a few months of relaxation ahead of me so hopefully I can get a few chapters done and quickly to. Thanks for all of your reviews, please keep them coming, any suggestions are always nice!**

A pair of verdant eyes darted about in the darkness, desperately trying to pierce the enveloping blackness, but it was to no avail. The air was tight down here, a coldness seemed to cling to the skin, helping to sew fear and uncertainty into the atmosphere.

Logan buried his head in his hands. How could this planet ever find piece when its soul was shrouded in such darkness?

A familiar presence found its way into Logan's mind. Her hand was at his shoulder once again, her concern brought him warmth at a time when there was no where else to look for hope and encouragement. Logan placed his hand on top of hers, pressing it deeper into her skin.

"_Are you all right?" _Bastila hesitantly quizzed through their bond. Logan didn't want to answer, he didn't want to burden her with his worries. He stole a glance at her angelic features, the darkness that seemed to eclipse all light could not penetrate her beauty. Not wanting to talk about anything as heavy as his turbulent thoughts, he immediately changed the subject. He wanted to question her about something anyway.

"_Bas, why did the council send me on this mission with you? Why not someone more experienced?" _The expression on her face betrayed her emotions, she was truly surprised at his candid question, what could she say? She couldn't tell him the truth.

"_Well...I..." _She pulled back and withdrew her hand, Logan could feel her guilt but couldn't understand why. "_I could not accomplish this mission on my own. I need the aid of others especially one who is strong in the force. The bond between us made you a natural choice. Besides, the events on Taris proved that the Force wanted to bring us together for this mission, and there is little left to chance when the Force is involved." _Logan tried to resist teasing her, but the temptation proved too strong.

"_So the force wants us to be together, huh?" _A small smile appeared on her face, she couldn't help but be intrigued by his persistence. Quickly though, her smile was replaced by an annoyed frown.

"_I said that we were brought together for the mission, I hardly think that the force would be pushing us towards a romantic involvement when the fate of the galaxy is at stake, we need to stay focused, I cant imagine the council would be impressed if the knew we were discussing our mutual attraction."_

"_We've already done a little more than discuss it Bastila."_

"_I...I know, but whatever our feelings...whatever your feelings are you must try to suppress them. This mission, finding the missing pieces of the Star Map, tracking down the Star Forge, It is our only hope of stopping Malak. Nothing can get in the way of that. _Logan's face had turned serious now, why was she pushing him away? He wouldn't let her. Logan moved closer, taking her hands in his.

"_Bastila, I don't know what you are trying to protect me from, whatever it is, it doesn't matter, we can face it together." _She looked down at their intertwined hands, despite the difference in size they seemed to fit together perfectly. Her eyes shimmered as the tears that were threatening to fall perched on her lid. She wanted to believe him, but if he ever knew the truth he would hate her, she couldn't live with herself if found out, she cursed the jedi for putting her in this position.

"_I am going to defeat Malak Bastila." _He moved closer and looked deep into her eyes. _"But I want to do it with you at my side."_

"_You really mean that don't you?"_

"_Of course I do, I lo..." _He considered telling her the truth, telling her that he loved her, no feeling in his life had ever come close, he thought about explaining to her that no matter what she did now, no matter what she said, she had stolen his heart and he didn't want it back. Logan stopped himself before he said too much, she didn't need this kind of pressure at the moment, he summarised.

"_I'm here for you." _She smiled inwardly as he said the last words, completely oblivious to his near revelation.

"_You always are, and I am grateful for it."_

"_Now all we have to do is kill the bad guy and we can ride of into the sunset, who knows, maybe you'll be up for jedi of the year." _Logan quipped in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood. It had the desired effect as his companion let out a squeak of laughter. A low growl could be heard from the other side of the basket.

"Sorry." Bastila mumbled before staring daggers at Logan. He flashed her a smile as mischief danced across his eyes, she couldn't help but smile as well.

"*We're here jedi, I have been told to wait for your return, I suspect you wont.*" The wookie said with a snarl, his disdain plainly evident.

"I love you too Gorwooken." Logan glibly remarked as he brushed past the huge creature with Bastila and Juhani in tow, both were smiling at the off-the-cuff humour Logan never failed to provide. Immediately, Logan realised something was wrong.

"Greetings jedi, you've led me on quite a chase."

"Calo Nord." Logan's shock was apparent. He was sure this man was dead, Calo Nord was possibly the best bounty hunter in the galaxy, Logan had faced him in battle before, and wasn't eager to do so again.

"We don't have to do this, I urge you to take your men and leave, you still have your lives, if you go now you will keep them." The bounty hunter chuckled to himself, humour that was not shared by his several men.

"Sorry jedi, you got away once before, its not gonna happen again. Men, you know what to do!"

Calo's twin blasters soon found their way into his hands and began to fire precise shots at the jedi. Logan signalled his companions to focus their attention on the surrounding men while he tried to get closer to Calo. The bounty hunter quickly put a stop to Logan's charge by throwing two grenades into his path. Logan tried to dodge out of the way, but the area of the explosion was too large, the force of the explosion sent him spiralling into a tree and smashing his face against it.

Logan ignored the blood that was gushing down his face and began his pursuit again, this time moving more slowly. He focused on deflecting the shots back towards his enemy but found only frustration when they bounced off the amour and back towards him. He wasn't deterred however, and kept deflecting shots as he edged closer and closer to his prize.

Bastila's agility was proving useful, she danced through the barrage of gunfire while her double blade struck a blow with every swing, she turned to see Juhani swarming over her enemies, her Cathar blood in full flow, Bastila was heartened by this sight, soon this fight would be over and they would be the victors.

Calo's beastly smile was slowly retreating from his face, it began to be replaced by a look of worry, highlighted by the flashing red of blaster bolts. Logan was moving closer, deflecting every shot back, and back again. The distance was growing shorter, until they were barely a metre apart. The flash of red next to the inhuman speed of Logan's blade lit up the forest floor.

"Goodbye Calo." Logan snarled before slicing his blade across the man's neck, severing his head from his shoulders. The body stood there for a moment as the head hit the floor, then it crumpled.

Logan soon found himself on his knees, staring at the blood on his hands.

"Where...where did that come from?" He move his hand to his head, a sticky warmth was revealed, flowing from a deep gash.

"Logan!" Bastila was at his side in a heartbeat, placing her hand over the wound and channelling the force.

"I'm all right, its nothing." Logan slurred, struggling to stand.

"No you're not, you're concussed."

"I..I am? Ah my head!"

"Its OK, I've nearly got it...there."

"Thanks Bas I couldn't of..." Logan's words slowly began to fall of deaf ears as Bastila became entranced by the blood on her hands, _his _blood was on her hands again, just like before. It was just like before.

"Bastila?" He saw the look of dread on her face and quickly threw his cloak over her hands. Logan couldn't work out what just happened, Bastila had dealt with blood before.

"I...I'm sorry." She managed through breathless pants.

"Hey, its OK." She apologised again after she had calmed down.

"Some help I am, you're the one consoling me after you got injured."

"Don't be silly, you were a great help, I'd still be stumbling about on the floor if it wasn't you, now lets get moving. Are you OK Juhani?" Logan queried, after the jedi in question was done looting the corpses.

"Oh, yes. I rather enjoyed the battle, I felt more free this time, there was less anger."

"That's good Juhani, its important to have clarity, its nice the see you more serene." He smiled at the jedi then began to lead the party through the thick, overgrown floor of the forest. The moist air was a refreshing thing, indeed this whole planet was refreshing. If it wasn't for the thick atmosphere of evil, he was sure he would make it a holiday destination in the future.

Logan's attention was immediately caught by a flash of vibrant green, was that another jedi? Logan's suspicions were confirmed as he saw a man with a lghtsaber fighting off a pack of Katarns. The jedi walked towards them after he had disposed of the beasts.

"Ah, the damnable racket of battle..." The old jedi sighed. "Follow me to my home, and we'll talk there."

"That's a little forward isn't it?" Logan quipped.

"Heh, that's true...I'm Jolee Bindo...This is the part where you say your name." Logan hesitantly replied, still perturbed by the bluntness of this man's nature.

"Er, I'm Logan, this is Bastila and Juhani." Jolee glanced around at his surroundings before looking back at his new companions.

"This isn't really the place to have a civilized conversation. My home isn't far, follow me. You cant miss it, its just under that log over there." He noticed the look on his company's faces before he continued. "Hey, don't knock it till you try it." Logan found it a charming little place, even if it was missing some essential things, but it completely complimented the old hermits nature.

"Well, here's my home, such as it is. Pull up a stump and be comfortable. We've got a lot to talk about."

"Yes, I sense there's a lot I can learn from you."

"Now now, you settle down with all that jedi mystery nonsense. I left that behind long ago."

"You're not a jedi?" Bastila interjected. "But you wear the robes of the order."

"Ha, these were the only things that were clean, besides, they look good on me, I assure you I am not a jedi. Look I know what you are here for, its the only reason a jedi would come to Kashyyyk. You're here for the Star Map. I know where it is, I can show you."

"What's the catch?" Logan asked flatly, he knew nothing was for free in his galaxy, ever jedi, or ex-jedi as this one seemed to be, wanted a piece of the person.

"Poachers, a filthy bloodthirsty lot preying on the defenceless animals here, and they keep messing up my garden! I want them gone."

"OK, I can do that."

"Good, their camp is Northwest of here, I would prefer it if you didn't kill them."

"What? Why would I kill them?"

"I don't know? Why would you?" Logan paused for a moment before replying, he was confused, why did Jolee think that he would just kill people without reason?

"I'll be back when it's done." As Logan walked away from the hut, he suddenly felt very ignorant in the face of the old man, like a child learning a lesson from its parent, it was a feeling that he wasn't used to.

"Look! Over there!" Juhani hissed, It was the camp that Jolee had mentioned.

"Lets get this over with, watch out for the mines." Logan muttered while trying to navigate a safe path through them. He approached the man who appeared to be overseeing the operation and immediately disliked him

"Excuse me, are you the one in charge round here?" .the man turned to greet the jedi, but clearly with some annoyance.

"Yes I am. I'm Commander Dern, speak quickly, I'm on a tight schedule." Logan looked around to see creatures of all sizes in cages, There were some dead animals in a pile, with pieces missing. Logan was absolutely disgusted at the complete lack of compassion these people were showing the creatures of the planet.

"I want you gone, now." This man wasn't threatened by Logan at all, his already thin patience was stretched to the limit.

"So, you've been talking to that old fool Bindo, well he has no authority here, and nether do you! As long as the Tach are here and the sonic emitters are operational we're staying put!" Logan gritted his teeth in frustration.

"_As long as the sonic emitters are operational you're staying put eh?" _Logan nonchalantly walked over to one of the sonic emitters and began to quietly question one of the guards. He realised that life here was bad for the guards. The Commander was a brute who would shoot anyone on sight for deserting.

"So...if one of these emitters shut down you'd be free to go, yes?" The guard subtly handed him an access card.

"Put this in the machine, type in scenario four...please if any questions are asked, don't mention me."

"My lips are sealed good sir." Logan did as instructed, making sure not to be seen by Dern, a few seconds later the constant humming from the emitters surrounding the perimeter stopped. Dern noticed this and turned to face Logan with a look of fury and fear in his eyes.

"YOU IDIOT! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" Dern pulled out his blaster and aimed it at Logan's head, but before he could place his shot, a monstrous howl drew the attention of everyone in the camp. Dern dropped his blaster and he and his men scuttled away in every direction

The three jedi dived behind a pile of rubble shielding themselves from the creatures that now had access to the camp site. A while later the area grew quite and the jedi braved the surface.

"Let these creatures out." Logan said, motioning to the cages, his distress at seeing the animals caged was plain for all to see. "This planed has suffered enough already. Now, lets get back to Jolee shall we?"


	22. Chapter 18

**This one is a little longer than usual, the final part to Kashyyyk will be one its way after the Diamond Jubilee. Please keep reviewing, if you have any suggestions please don't hesitate to share them!**

The humid environment the jedi now found themselves in effected everything around them. Juhani found herself drawn to the perplexities of the floor. The moist ground was clinging to her boots, trying to root her to the spot, she smiled at the persistence of the substance. The squelch of the mud felt like a defiant scream to the young Cathar who was trudging forward, despite finding it increasingly difficult to do so. Soon however, Juhani's attention began to focus somewhere else.

She was intrigued by the body language between the two jedi a few paces in front of her, it was clear to anyone with eyes that they were close, they walked in unison and each glanced regularly at the other, it was a look that she didn't understand, but wanted to. Juhani knew of the bond that they shared, she wasn't an expert on such things but even she was sure that there was more going on between the pair than should have been.

Logan's fingers brushed against his bond mates, even this tiny connection was enough to warm his soul. He took this a step further as he hesitantly slipped his hand into hers, Bastila smiled inwardly and squeezed the course skin that was presented to her, the heat of the connection was completely refreshing, she could feel life pulsing through his hand.

Bastila became increasingly aware that there was someone behind her, not a stranger or an ordinary person, a jedi, one of her brethren loyal to the ideals of the order. Panic began to set in, she couldn't of made her relationship with Logan more obvious if she tried. Bastila quickly withdrew her hand, leaving only a lonely reminder of the impossibility of her situation on her skin, coupled by the disappointment she felt through the bond.

Logan was becoming more and more annoyed with Bastila's unwillingness to acknowledge her feelings for him in front of others, he didn't see the need to hide it and it hurt that she did. He felt angry and humiliated, he didn't want a life in the shadows, settling for scraps of her attention behind closed doors, he wanted all of her. Logan was frustrated with the whole situation, the realisation that his ideal future with Bastila would be almost impossible to obtain was just too much to bare and he stormed ahead in despair.

"The poachers are gone." Logan grunted as he approached Jolee's hut, the old man in question was squatting next to a bubbling pot, as he noticed the jedi approaching he stood to face them, though with some difficulty.

"Yes, yes I heard the racket, no blood has been spilt I see...good. There are two more things I need before I take you to what you seek." Logan squashed down the impatience that he felt gnawing at the back of his neck, this man had the answers he required and he would do whatever was needed to obtain them.

"What do you need?"

"First I want you agree to take me with you after we've found your map."

"Why? I mean this is your home, why would you want to leave it?"

"I've spent over twenty years down on this planet, I think I've seen all there is to see besides, its time I joined the land of the living."

"OK you've made case, welcome aboard Jolee, now what else did you want?"

"I want to have dinner before we go."

"Err..."

"I'll just get the bowls, you like Wroshyr seed soup don't you?" The three jedi looked on mutely as the old man shuffled around, pouring four servings of the steaming concoction into small wooden bowls. The food itself was surprisingly nice, the creamy texture of the soup was countered by large chunks of varying plants. The woody flavour of the seeds were complimented beautifully by the diverse range of spices that danced across the tongue. Bastila found it rather surprising, given their location that such a wide range of flavours were available.

No matter how nice the food was, it did little to lighten Logan's mood. While waiting for the others to finish, he decided to explore his surroundings and was then, unbeknownst to him, shortly followed by Bastila. Juhani looked up, unsure whether or not to join them.

"Let them go my dear," Jolee advised, making it clear he knew about their relationship as well. "They have things they need to sort out."

Bastila followed her bond mate into a small clearing, Logan closed his eyes and lifted his head to the sky. When he opened himself to the force he felt free, the reality of his situation however was anything but free.

"Logan, are you all right?" Bastila hesitantly questioned while moving to place her hand on his shoulder, as she had grown accustomed to doing in these situations, to her confusion and dismay she was rebuffed.

"No Bastila, don't touch me."

"I...I don't understand. What's wrong?" He turned to face her, his stony exterior betrayed no emotion, however his eyes gave everything away.

"What's wrong? Whats wrong is I don't want to be your dirty little secret Bastila! If you can't admit your feelings for me that's fine, I'll understand, just please don't mess me about, don't use me." _Don't use me._ Bastila's heart sank as he said the words, she had no choice, it was killing her but there was no other way. She hated herself for what she was doing but she was in an impossible situation. If Logan ever found out, she would loose him forever, but if the jedi ever found out how she felt about him, she shuddered to think at what would happen. Her ice blue orbs were filled with fear, guilt and self loathing, Logan wanted to comfort her, but he couldn't let himself, he didn't want to get hurt any more than he was already.

"If the council ever found out..."

"I don't care if they find out," He placed his hands on her face, rubbing his course thumbs into her cheeks, he gave her nothing but comfort, but she couldn't take the chance, "I don't want to hide, do you?"

"I don't want to hurt you." Was all Bastila could manage, the words that she spoke so softly, to Logan's ears were now daggers, delivering untold amounts of pain onto their victim. Logan retreated, his jaw clenched, he took a deep breath as his eyes slowly shut, he tried to think of a way that he could salvage the situation, but no answer came to the surface. Why should he? It was _her_ who was being cold, _her_ who was pushing him away, he had been there for her time and again and this is how she repaid him? No! It was her turn to make the move. As Logan opened his eyes Bastila noticed an almost reduction in their colour. The intense and smouldering energy that she was so used to finding there was nowhere to be found, they were now pale and distant. This look was confirmed by the numbness she felt through their bond.

"Its too late for that Bastila, you already have hurt me." As Logan walked away he left a heartbroken Bastila standing there, he hesitated for a moment as his bond mates quiet sobs became too painful to ignore but no, if she wanted him she knew where he was.

"Jolee are we ready to go?" The old man heard Logan say as he burst through the bracken. The aura surrounding the man was conflicted, muddy. If he was going to be successful in his mission he needed clarity.

"I don't know, are you?" Was he supposed to answer that? Logan didn't really care, he just wanted this day over with. Before he could go any further his comlink bleeped, he was quietly aggravated by another delay and even more frustrated by the bad signal.

"Carth? Carth is that you? Can you here me?" The distressed voice of the soldier sent Logan into panic mode.

"Lo..n...need to ge...up here...Wookies...Czerka...Should we he...the slaves...killed..w."

"Carth? CARTH?...BOLLOCKS!" The continuing static coming from the device left Logan increasingly on edge, his friends lives could be in danger and he couldn't do anything about it. "Something is going on up there, shit we don't have time for this! Juhani?"

"What do you require?"

"I need you to get back to the Hawk, it sounds like their in trouble, make sure the crew is safe." Juhani was a little disappointed to not be able to see the mission through to the end, Logan had given her an important task however, and she would not let him down.

"I will do as you ask." Before Juhani could leave, Logan placed two huge hands on each of her shoulders and looked deep into her yellow eyes. Bastila soon wished she hadn't returned to Jolee's hut, for what she saw made her stomach turn. Who did Juhani think she was? Moving in on Logan as soon as her back was turned, the anger was almost too much to bare, what made it worse was him. How could HE act like this? The jealousy was raging through her veins like a relentless flame, only now she realised that her feelings for Logan were both irreversible and undeniable, something which she didn't want to fight against any more, did Logan still want her though?

"I need you to be careful Juhani." The deep voice of Logan said, drawing Bastila back into reality. "Kashyyyk is a dangerous place at the best of times, but I trust you...just be careful." Juhani gave a shy smile directed towards the handsome young jedi before trotting off into the darkness.

"Right, lets get going shall we?" The gruff voice of Jolee piped up. "I've been on this planet long enough already." The old man led the remaining jedi through the dense foliage at a surprisingly nimble pace, however they came to an abrupt halt as it became clear that their path was blocked. The repulsor field's neon shades of purple stood in complete contrast to the murky greens and browns of the forest, this also seemed to symbolise what a rarity any form of technology was on this planet, Logan found himself wondering if the Star Map would look as out of place as this.

"Beautifully subtle, isn't it? It had to be, or else the Wookies would have taken it apart by now, though they wouldn't have had an easy time of it."

"I trust you can get us past this?" Logan said with a distinct lack of interest.

"I'm not as useless as I look y'know! But I can only manipulate it for a moment. Now, how did those Czerka mechanics do it?" Jolee grumbled while tinkering with a panel. "Ah, yes. There we are, hurry up. It won't stay open forever." The party quickly stepped through the metal gate before the purple sheen reappeared, the cast lit up the depths of the Shadowlands, the area seemed even more overgrown than the previous section of the forest. Logan was in awe of the generations of Wookie tracks that lay before him and he instinctively knew that they led somewhere sacred.

As the jedi plunged even further into the depths of the forest, they were greeted by a confusing sight. A young Wookie was being tackled by a group of Mandalorians, the blood that was seeping through his fur made it clear that he was badly injured, he wasn't going to last much longer.

"What are Mandalorians doing down here?" Bastila hissed to her elderly companion. Before Jolee could give a reply, Logan threw himself at the Mandalorians, bringing his jade blade down hard as he landed. The unlucky man that Logan had picked met a gruesome end as the lightsaber cleaved him in two. The remaining warriors now ignored the Wookie and charged strait towards their new adversary. Logan was finding it challenging to deflect the many blows that were thrown at him, these Mandalorians possessed unbelievable skill with their blades, only narrowly missing their target now. Logan rolled backwards, giving himself more space to think. He held his right arm out as another lightsaber flew off his belt and ignited in his hand, its blue hue casting a light glow on the right side of his face. Logan smiled as his enemy's hesitated slightly, he twirled his duel blades to get used to the feeling before putting them to expert use against the Mandalorians.

Jolee and Bastila were charging down the path, trying desperately to cover the considerable distance between themselves and the battle, all the while their sabres were lighting up the forest around them. When they eventually joined Logan, no enemy's remained.

"What did you think you were doing? You could have been killed!" Bastila screamed at her bond mate, her fiery demeanour betrayed her concern, this didn't impress Logan however.

"If I didn't act that Wookie would have been killed!" Logan bellowed before dismissing Bastila completely and turned his attention to the injured Wookie now lying on the floor.

"*Great Bacca.*" The Wookie grunted, his pain evident in every movement. "*Please let this outsider be different from the others, please...help me!*" Logan knelt down beside the creature and placed his hands over the considerably deep wound on his chest. His dark brows furrowed as he used the force to knit the flesh back together.

"*I am grateful outsider, you saved my life, you are different to the filth that plagues my planet, but I must ask something of you. These scum, these Mandalorians, they have slain my brothers, butchered them while they were at camp and resting. I want vengeance. I would do this myself, but I am too weak to continue fighting, and the armoured warriors tend to ambush you. They will only appear when you are unarmed, the cowards.*"

"Revenge is not the answer, it wont bring you piece."

"*I do this not for myself! These monsters are a danger to my people, they need to be removed before they kill again!*"

"Fine, I will help you."

"*Thank you jedi, remove your weapons when you see my brothers bodies and the monsters will appear, I am weak, I must return to the upper world.*" The jedi found the Wookies corpses littered throughout different locations of the Shadowlands and sure enough the bodies were guarded by Mandalorians who appeared every time they lowered their weapons, they did not last long however.

During their explorations of the depths of the Shadowlands, the jedi stumbled upon a group of swoop bikes hidden in the undergrowth. Logan used one of the data pads that he looted of Mandalorian corpse, by doing so he managed to deactivate the stealth field generator that given the Mandalorians the advantage down here. As soon as he did so, an even larger group appeared, they were headed by a man clad in blood red armour, completely different to his companions blue.

"You are interrupting our hunt, interloper." The captain said as he pulled his blade out of its sheath. "The inhabitants of this planet have given us little challenge, but perhaps you will be a more worthy foe, men...TO GLORY!"

The sound of igniting lightsabers brought back stirring memories for the Mandalorian captain, this was his second chance to prove himself, he would not fail. Jolee and Bastila split to each side, leaving the captain in Logan's capable hands. Bastila stuck to her usual tactics, sliding past her enemy's heavy blows while herself landing quick and precise strikes which served to bring them down quickly. She soon moved over to help Jolee, who was using the force to batter his foe's, creating whirlwinds of energy unavoidable to the heavy footed Mandalorians. The armour of the Captain was thick, Logan was frustrated as he realised that the man was still alive, even after landing several blows, this called for a different tactic.

Logan leapt back, and was narrowly missed by a swing from the Mandalorians blade, he landed next to the group of swoop bikes and there he waited.

"C'mon jedi! Fight like a man!" The taunts weren't working as Logan stayed put, the captain didn't care, he began to charge towards the jedi who didn't even flinch at the sight of the huge man at full stretch. Just before the Mandalorian could land his blow, Logan brought his blade down and rolled.

His lightsaber cut through the middle of the swoop bike causing an explosion which engulfed the Mandalorian in flames. The force of the explosion sent Logan hurtling into a bush, and hit the ground with a painful crunch. He lay there for a few moments, briefly giving into his fatigue. A familiarity swam over Logan, he opened his eyes in confusion, when he did realisation dawned.

"Logan? Logan? Are you all right?" He heard a feminine voice call out and quickly struggled to his feet.

"I've found it!" He answered, not wanting to have a proper conversation with her at the moment, Bastila noticed Logan's dismissal of her concern, but knew this was not the time to pull him up on it. The young jedi slowly walked towards the Star Map, closely followed by Jolee and Bastila. To his confusion it didn't open, instead a hologram lit up in front of him.

"Sentient life forms recognized. Preliminary neural scan complete. Match found." The creature in the hologram slowly declared with a monotone voice.

"Match found? That dammed thing always said something about 'rejected patterns' for me!" Logan smiled at Jolee's little tantrum before turning back to the hologram.

"Tell me how to open the Star Map."

"Access denied. Probability of restriction by previous user: 100 percent. You do not match the exact patterns found in my database. Reconfiguration must take place. You must be tested."

"Tested...If I pass this test, can I access the Star Map?"

"I cannot say. Probability of that scenario is high." Logan paused for a moment before continuing, he briefly noticed a chunk of metal that seemed to be attached to a battle droid hidden behind a patch of grass, when he looked again he found five more droids strategically placed around the area.

"And if I fail?"

"Then you will be dealt with."

"Right then...lets start the test."

"Hypothetical: You and the Wookie Zaalbar are captured. You face charges of murder and treason. If you accuse Zaalbar, face either two years in prison if he is innocent, or none if he is found guilty. If you both stay silent, you face either one year in prison, or five if you are guilty. What do you do?"

"How do you know about Zaalbar?" Logan queried, alarmed by the machines knowledge.

"It is my business to know everything on this planet." Logan hesitated before answering, his instinct was to accuse the Wookie but the more he thought about it, the more he changed his mind.

"I trust Zaalbar, he is an honourable creature, I would stay silent."

"Processing...the Wookies family has a history of treachery, would you really risk five years of incarceration? Loyalty is dangerous... Zaalbar could turn on you to receive better treatment….Your answers is incorrect."

"No, loyalty is essential, if you don't trust the people who fight and die with you, it would ultimately lead to your downfall."

"Illogical…the strong will always prey on the weak, nature demands it…response incorrect…you must match pattern in memory core." Logan snorted, unconvinced with the machines reasoning, but he knew he had to trust his instincts from now on.

"Dismissing previous answer as user error...processing...evaluation will continue. Hypothetical: You are at war. Your spies intercept a transmission that says there will be a weakness in the enemy's forces in ten days, you also learn that the enemy will attack your city in five days. What do you do?" Logan rubbed the dark stubble that had formed on his jaw as he pondered the question presented to him.

"My forces attack in ten days."

"Correct. If you had evacuated the city, the enemy would have been alerted to its lost transmission. The loss of life was essential for military success."

The loss of life was essential to save more lives." Logan stated flatly.

"Regardless you answered correctly...processing...evaluation will continue. Hypothetical: Same situation as before, but you are not at war. Your civilization is stagnant and decaying, your people have grown complacent. Your enemies are small and weak, but you learn that they will attack you in five days. What do you do?"

"I let the attack happen." Logan answered calmly, not even resisting his initial instincts this time.

"Correct, your people will rally under you against the common threat, complacency and stagnation will be washed away in the battle and you regain control of the nation...processing...evaluation complete. Neural reconfiguration complete. Welcome. You may now access the Star Map. Shutting down." Slowly, the Star Map started to emit a low humming sound and then began to open like a budding flower in spring. eventually it granted its pollen to the viewers in the form of the map, Logan waisted no time in downloading it onto his data pad and smiled to himself at the completion of the task. He ignored the look of irritation on Bastila's face, he didn't have to explain himself to her, she had never had to make a decision knowing people will die at the end of it. He had. He had sent millions of people do their deaths, but always for the greater good, always with the intention of saving more lives. Logan shook his head, wondering where the memories had come from, he tried to look at them again, but they dispersed as quickly as they came.

"Right now all we have to do is kill the Madclaw and we'll be back in time for tea." Jolee was suddenly alert, he turned to Logan with concern swimming in his dark eyes.

"You can't kill Freyyr."

"Freyyr? But that's..." Realisation dawned on Logan, Chuundar was trying to use him so he could cling on to power.

"That's Zaalbar's father." Bastila finished for her bond mate.

"Take me to Freyyr." Jolee looked at the young man for a moment before understanding what he intended to do.

"Right, his home is not far from here, follow me."


	23. Chapter 19

**Sorry for the delay, I've had the busiest few weeks ever preparing for an exhibition but I have a lot more free time now so the next one will be out soon, I decided to split the final chapter of this planet into two because this seemed like a good cliffhanger. Please keep reviewing!**

Jolee could feel the tension oozing from the two jedi behind him, the friction was palpable. He spared a glance over his shoulder and wasn't surprised to find Logan strides in front of Bastila, the look on his face was a mixture of anger and regret, Jolee knew that look all too well, for he had worn it himself in the past.

"Look! He's over there." The old man said, the trepidation evident in his voice. His words cut through the uneasy atmosphere and immediately all were alert. Logan carefully fixed his eyes on the Wookie in question, he was tall, easily well over two meters, though his gaunt frame pointed out the difficulties he had faced in recent times. His uniform of fur was greying and frayed, at a first glance this creature matched the initial preconceptions of a Madclaw, yet when Logan looked closer he could see the nobility in his face. The old Wookie let out a huge roar that seemed to carry all over the forest. The sound was filled with pain and hatred, the primal, untamed quality of the noise spoke for the planets soul perfectly.

"*EVEN THE MOST SACRED PARTS OF MY PLANET ARE NOT SAFE FROM THIS VIRMIN!*"

"Freyyr! Don't you remember me? I helped you escape the slavers, we're not here to hurt you!" Jolee implored, but his desperate attempt to appeal to the creature was violently spurned.

"*I WILL NOT BE TAKEN IN BY YOUR FILTHY LIES LIKE SO MANY OF MY BRETHEREN! I WILL SAVE THIS PLANET AND I'LL KILL YOU BEFORE YOU HURT ANOTHER ONE OF MY PEOPLE!*" Before the jedi could plead their case, the Wookie threw himself at his enemy's in a feral state of fury. His salient claws carved into Logan's jedi robes, leaving prominent scars in his cortosis breastplate. Logan reacted instantly, within a heartbeat his palm was outstretched, sending a pulse of force energy directly into the chest of Freyyr. The Wookie was propelled into the air and landed hard on the ground, shattering the log which he landed upon. A verdant lightsaber was at Freyyr's throat, but the Wookie stared defiantly into his opponent, unafraid of the death that was imminent.

"*Finish it quickly jedi, it will be a more dignified end than what the slavers have planned for the rest of my people.*"

"I don't want to kill you Freyyr." Logan declared, retracting his blade and clipping it to his belt in an attempt to reassure the Wookie. "I want to help you." Freyyr slowly struggled to his feet, even though he towered over the jedi, the presence of these outsiders still provoked consternation within the Wookie. "I am a friend of Zaalbar, he has been taken captive by Chuundar, he needs your help." Recognition spread across Freyyr's features, Wookie's were difficult to read at the best of times, but the emotion that swam in this creatures eyes was undeniable.

"*My son is alive? He is in the company of your kind? I don't understand.*"

"I freed Zaalbar from slavers on Taris, he swore a life debt to me in return."

"*He swore a life debt to you? If Zaalbar trusts you enough to grant you this honour, then so do I. When he told me what Chuundar was up to I didn't believe him, I trusted my eldest son, when I found out for my self I was cast out, claimed to be mad. Now is my chance to save my people.*" A fire started behind the old Wookie's eyes as he now saw his opportunity to cleanse the soul of his planet.

"What do you have in mind?"

"*If I can appeal to my peoples sense of tradition, they may listen and see through my sons lies.*"

"How would you do that?"Freyyr stared deep into Logan's eyes, he knew what he was about to ask was incredibly dangerous, but he could see no other way.

"*I need you to retrieve Bacca's Blade.*"

"Bacca..." Logan pondered the name for a moment, he remembered the Wookie he helped earlier using the word. "Is he a Wookie god?"

"*He was the greatest of us, the greatest chieftain in our history. He forged the legendary blade from a downed star ships hull, it was our first contact with the galaxy beyond. The blade passed from chieftain to chieftain, it became a symbol of authority and leadership. The blade was lost generations ago during a ceremonial battle. Here in the Nother World Rothrrrawr, my grandfather, fought the great beast, though he escaped with his life, the blade was lost. This marked the start of the dark times for my people.*"

"If the blade was broken, how do we get it back?" Logan queried, looking slightly perturbed. The great Wookie leaned in closer, his growls became more acute as he described the terrible creature that they would need to defeat in order to obtain the blade.

"A TERENTATEK?" Bastila's eyes widened as Logan said the words, she had been taught about the legendary beast, of course she had, but that's all it was meant to be now, a legend. The deep voice of her bond mate brought her back in to reality.

"The ceremonial clearing should be round this corner."

"Logan...I don't think we should do this." The young jedi's taut lips betrayed his irritation as he turned to face Bastila, he dismissed the worry on her face and pointed a finger at her as he spoke.

"Can you think of another way to help these Wookie's? No? Then I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself!" He immediately regretted snapping at Bastila, but he couldn't help it. Why should he comfort her? He wouldn't, not until she admitted her feelings for him. The anguish that flooded her face caused him to wince, why? Why did he snap, why did he have to hurt her? He tore his green orb's from view, desperate to avoid the gaze of the woman that he loved. Before he could apologise Bastila had retreated from view, leaving only a bitter reminder of his imbecility in her wake.

"Look over here!" The gruff voice of Jolee called out, cutting through the tension once more. "I've found something!" He was pawing at the vegetation that covered a strange slab, eventually revealing an ancient tome adorned with strange symbols. Logan pushed past the old man and placed his hand against the arcane stone. He could feel the countless generations of challengers who had stood here, their great paws had each touched this slab in respect.

"This is Shyriiwook...the Wookie language, it says that if we want the honour of facing the great beast, we must leave an offering."

"An offering of what?" Logan rubbed the stubble on his jaw as he searched the area for clues, he soon spotted a crust of dried blood below a worn vine and then understood what needed to be done.

"I spotted a pack of kinrath not far from here, we will need to tie one to this vine in order to entice the creature." After Logan explained what needed to be done, the jedi tracked the pack and carried one dead body back to the site. Once the kinrath was tied to the vine, Logan used the hidden blade on his wrist to puncture the skin of the creature, soon fresh blood began to cover the ancient ground. The enduring silence was deafening, Logan didn't understand, where was the Terentatek? The seconds that went by felt like hours, each breath felt like a life time and still the creature did not come, then the ground began to shake.

The earth beneath Logan's feet began to crumble with a ferocity, the thundering noise of footsteps got louder and louder, increasing the fear with each step then, it appeared. The jedi recoiled in horror as the hideous creature cleaved through the foliage into the clearing, announcing its arrival by letting out a spine chilling howl. Logan's blood ran cold as he realised that this was the source of the evil he could feel, this creature was simply darkness incarnate. The monstrous form stood on two trunk-like legs, giving it hight beyond any creature Logan had seen, its titanic arms were followed by four deadly looking claws on each hand. Two hideous tusks protruded from its mouth, a sickly green sheen covered its tusks, promising death to all victims.

Jolee hurled a wave of force energy at the creature in an attempt to knock it backwards, however the Terentatek absorbed the energy and threw it back at the old jedi with even more force, knocking him clean off his feet.

"This creature is bread to hunt us, it feeds on the blood of force users, traditional tactics wont work, we take it down with grenades!" Logan barked to is companions, but he soon realised that his words had fallen on deaf ears. Bastila froze in her tracks as the nature of the darkness completely overwhelmed her. The beast seemed to notice her struggle and focused its attention wholly on her, Logan's world began to collapse as he watched the hulking frame lurch forwards, his loves face a picture of terror. Without hesitation, he pushed Bastila out of the way, willingly taking the blow himself. One of the mammoth tusks burst through an unprotected part of his armour, sinking deep into his stomach.

Logan tried to gasp in pain, but found the air to already have vanished from his lungs, he could feel the venom working its way into his system, temporarily numbing his connection to the force, in a way he was thankful as this meant that Bastila could not share in his pain. Logan looked on, completely helpless as his companions tried to slay the beast but it was to no avail, their lightsabers were as useless as the force in this battle. A feminine cry drew Logan's attention, he could do nothing as a thick claw dug deep into his bond mates shoulder, no he wouldn't let this evil creature hurt her!

Still impaled on the beasts tusk, Logan clung on despite volatile attempts to dislodge him. Using the remaining shred of his strength, he dragged himself closer to the monsters mouth, ignoring the unimaginable pain as the tusk moved deeper into the wound, Logan pulled a bandoleer off his waist and activated one of the many grenades attached to it before throwing it into the Terentatek's open mouth. The beast tossed him like a rag doll across the clearing, his limp body hit the floor without resistance. Before it could continue its attack, the Terentatek's head erupted in a burst of light, it let out a defiant roar as the inevitable took hold and its mutilated body crashed to the floor.

"LOGAN!" he lifted his head to see what looked like an angel staring at him, even though darkness was clouding his vision, he knew who it was.

"Bas...you're safe...I.." Her delicate fingers pressed into his lips before he could finish his slurred sentence.

"Don't speak," She whispered through tears of worry. "You need to preserve your energy." She spared a glance at the hideous wound on his abdomen, it was pouring with blood despite her best efforts to stem the flow, she knew that this was way beyond her skill to treat.

"JOLEE! HELP!" Within a heartbeat the old man was there, desperately trying to dress the wound.

"This is no good, the poison is strong...its making his body reject the force or any medpacks, we will have to wait before it wares off. The best we can hope for is to stop the bleeding for now." Logan could feel his body failing, he wasn't going to make it. One of his blood stained hands reached out for Bastila, he needed to tell her how he felt before it was too late.

"Bas...I.."

"NO! LOGAN, DONT SAY YOUR GOODBYES!" Her voice was muffled to him now, he was forcing himself to concentrate on her, but he was deteriorating fast and consciousness was slipping away. He gripped her hand tighter and placed a thumb on her cheek as he tried to continue. The red smudge on her face was a stark contrast to her alabaster skin.

"Please...need to tell you..." He was finding it increasingly difficult to draw breath as he pushed forwards, Bastila's blue orbs held terror as she watched him strain for the air to finish his words.

"I'm sorry...I...Bas...I...I lo.." Before he could finish his sentence, he felt deaths cold embrace close in.

"Logan? Logan...no no no no NO!" She shook him violently in a desperate attempt to keep him conscious. "Please don't leave me." She sobbed, pressing her face into his chest. "I need you...I love you." But it was too late, darkness had claimed him...


	24. Chapter 20

**Yey another chapter! Thank you for all of the reviews, please keep them coming!**

**This is a Mandalorian language translation, it will make sense as you read.**

**Meg vaabir gar jorhaa'ir be Te Ani'la Mand'alor?=Who do you speak of Mandalore?**

**Jetii haar werde bic haar darjetii=Jedi the darkness its the sith.**

**Ni kar'taylir darasuum gar=I love you.**

_He could smell heat, the cauterized flesh of the Mandalorians that littered the floor was something that he had gotten used to over the years. He was so close to the end now, months of preparation had gone into drawing the enemy into this trap, if he could pull it off it would mean the end of the war, the war that had taken so much from so many, he had the power to end it all._

_Revan's personal guard gathered close as four Mandalorian honour guards stormed into view. An assault on the personal flagship of Mandalore the Ultimate was daring to say the least, close quarter fighting with these brutes was sure to mean death for the average republic soldier, but Revan's company was not comprised of the average republic soldier. The Mandalorians broke against their opposition like water on rock, leaving Revan to advance towards his goal. _

_The dark Neo-Crusader armour of Mandalore the Ultimate illuminated in the wake of the fierce space battle that raged behind him. The towering figure fired a barrage of shots at the jedi which were dodged easily, as Revan drew closer, he ignited his blue lightsaber and bowed to his adversary as a signal that the most significant battle of the Mandalorian Wars was about to begin. _

"_I have waited my whole life to fight someone as worthy as you," Mandalore growled as he reached for his vibrosword. The opponents began to slowly circle each other, neither ready to make the first move. "You are the only person to have bested me in the tactics of war...but I will regain my glory in personal combat." As he said the words he snarled in anticipation and charged at Revan. The deep blue of the jedi's lightsaber swirled as he parried Mandalore's flourish,_

"_Glory?" The electrically modified voice of Revan gasped as he blocked another jibe and countered with a swipe at the warriors feet. The equipment that usually disguised his voice could not cloak the shock that it held. "Surely not even the Mandalorians can claim that this war has been glorious, you have the blood of a galaxy on your hands!" Mandalore leapt over Revan's lightsaber and kicked the jedi square in the chest, Revan staggered backwards before unleashing a wave of force energy at his opponent which served to knock him off his feet. Mandalore rolled away, narrowly avoiding a slash from his enemy, he leapt to his feet, managing to dodge another swipe and counter with one of his own._

"_Come now jedi, you've studied our culture, you know why we fight." Mandalore grunted as he lunged at his enemy's head, Revan slid under the move while swinging at the warriors exposed chest. Mandalore careened backwards and bit back a cry of pain._

"_Yes, yes I have. That is how I know that this war is not about glory. There is a darkness in the back of every Mandalorian mind, a darkness that forces you forwards almost against your will. Surrender, tell your men to stand down, let us end this war without any more bloodshed." Clearly disgusted by the jedi's plea, Mandalore charged, forcing Revan back with the ferocity of his attack._

"_Do you really think that we have come this far to surrender now? I and every other Mandalorian would rather die a warrior than live as a coward!" _

"_So be it." Something changed inside Revan, his heart hardened and the aura around him seemed to swirl as he began his final assault on the leader of the Mandalorians. The force of Revan's strikes took Mandalore by surprise and the persistence made it impossible for him to regain his foothold in the battle. Before he could bring his vibrosword up to block the next blow, Revan rammed his blade into Mandalore's gut._

_A debilitated body hit the floor with a thud, it lay there unable to prevent the inevitable shut down of organs, Revan slowly knelt beside the ruined frame of Mandalore and removed his helmet. _

"_Do you feel glory...here at the end?"_

"_To be bested by you...yes I feel glory...but...for what I have allowed them to do to us...no.."_

"_Who?" Before Mandalore could reply, Revan's comlink bleeped, a feminine voice strained to be heard over thunderous explosions._

"_SIR? ITS GENERAL ANVIL HERE! THE MANDO'S ARE SWARMING MY MEN ON PLANET BUT THEIR CRUISERS ARE IN ORBIT OF MALACHOR, IF I ACTIVATE THE DEVICE NOW I WONT BE ABLE TO PULL MY MEN BACK IN TIME! WHAT ARE YOUR ORDERS?" _

"_We can end this war right now general, don't hesitate!" There was silence for a moment before a quiet reply broke through._

"_Aye Aye." Knowing his time was limited, Revan turned his attention to the mortally wounded man lying beside him._

" _Meg vaabir gar jorhaa'ir be Te Ani'la Mand'alor?" The broken warrior blinked a few times as he listened to the jedi's question, he was surprised that he had taken the trouble to speak in Mando'a and quickly strained for the air to give his reply._

"_Jetii...haar werde...bic haar...darjetii." Revan moved in closer as Mandalore continued to whisper, soon his muttering blended into one enduring hum and then faded into the background as blackness took hold._

Logan writhed about in an unfamiliar bed, the sweat that dripped from his pores made the cotton sheets cling to his pale skin. His lids slowly lifted to reveal diluted green irises swimming in bloodshot sclera's.

"Wh...where am I?" He mumbled while trying to sit up, his progress was soon halted as a pair of feminine hands pressed against his bare chest, pushing him back into the bed.

"Don't sit up, the wound isn't fully healed," He heard the distinctly Talravian accent of Bastila whisper, her voice was like a soothing ribbon of water, instantly calming him in any situation."We're in Jolee's hut, and you are lucky to be alive." He grunted as he strained to lift himself on to the edge of the bed, despite Bastila's protests.

:"Err, that...that thing blocked my connection to the force."

"Yes, it made it impossible to heal the wound."

"So I see." He winced as he removed the blood soaked bandage that covered his wound."Uh...that's gonna leave a scar." The lower left portion of his abdomen bore the brutality of the Terentatek's attack, dry blood had crusted over the deep gash, pinkish scar tissue had already begun to outline the wound.

"I...we nearly lost you..." She lowered her head, unable to continue, she had come so close to loosing him, the thought itself was terrifying. He gently brushed his hand against her cheek in an attempt to comfort her, Bastila let out a sigh of relief at his touch, it was almost conformation that he had survived.

"Hey, it'll take more than a tusk through the stomach to kill me."

"If it wasn't for you I'd be dead," She spoke softly, remembering how he had pushed her out of the way. "You saved my life."

"And you saved mine."

"You could of killed yourself Logan...you could of d..." Her words caught in her throat as she realised that their faces were dangerously close, His course thumb rubbed against the dry blood stain that still adorned her cheek, causing it to crumble away, her porcelain complexion the only thing that remained.

"I would gladly do it again if it meant that you were safe," His voice contained a husky tone as he pressed his forehead against hers. "I'd die for you if you asked it of me...I love you..." He instantly winced at his revelation, his lids slammed shut in a desperate attempt to avoid Bastila's reaction but he could not escape it for long.

Bastila slowly brushed her full lips against his, his skin was cold, still recovering from the trauma that he faced, but it had a natural electricity about it that warmed her to the core.

"I love you too." She whispered after they parted for air. Logan's steady green gaze searched for hesitation in his companions eyes, he found none. "I don't want to hide it any more, when this mission is over...I want to be with you." He pulled Bastila into a tight embrace, he couldn't believe it, she finally admitted her feelings for him. The two lay in each others arms for what felt like an eternity, neither wanting to the inevitable duties they held, Logan wanted to stay in that moment forever, but the galaxy wouldn't stop turning.

"Are you two gonna lay there all day? C'mon! We've got an uprising to lead!" His presence caused reality to dawn on the couple, they were still jedi, they had responsibilities to deal with before their happily ever after.

"All right, let me get dressed, then we'll head up." Logan sauntered over to a corner where his equipment was dumped, he dressed quickly, managing to cover the huge rip in his robes, and then proceeded to clip various lightsaber's that he had collected to his belt. "I assume you found Bacca's blade."

"Well it was pretty hard to miss, that thing stuck so far out'a that monsters ass, they could see it all the way from Coruscant!" Jolee's low-brow humour didn't go down well with every one in the hut as he soon found out when a icy stare from Bastila was thrown at him.

"Ha, the funny thing is I believe you, did you give it to Freyyr?"

"Yup, he's heddin' up to challenge that scrawny little runt as we speak, we better get are asses up there to."

"Why are we still standing here? Lets move."

The jedi hurried back up to the surface of the planet and soon found themselves back on the Great Walkway, the distant sounds of blaster fire told them that then needed to hurry.

Logan could feel the tension oozing from the hut as he approached, his feeling was confirmed as he entered, Humans and Wookies alike were gathered close, weapons drawn.

"*It's good you are here jedi,*" Freyyr barked as Logan entered the hut. "We seem to be at an impasse, Chuundar has Bacca's hilt and I have the blade, both artefacts of great symbolic importance to my people. My son does not know who to side with.*" Logan settled his gaze onto Zaalbar, signalling him to speak.

"*My brother, he has been explaining, some of it makes sense but...I just don't know..."

"Zaalbar, do you agree with slavery?"

"No."

"There is your answer." Seeing his support dwindle, Chuundar slowly drew his double edged vibrosword and signalled his men to attack. The battle that followed was over fairly quickly, the czerka guards were no match for the jedi and the few Wookies that did support Chuundar were soon overwhelmed. Logan, even in his weakened state, proved an uncompromising opponent, taking down an enemy with every swing. After the battle he found a mournful Freyyr stood over his sons body, Zaalbar a few paces behind his father.

"*I wish it didn't have to come to this.*"Freyyr mournfully grunted, slowly he knelt and fixed Bacca's hilt with the blade, a huge roar erupted from the Wookie crowds as he lifted the blade and declared himself chieftain. Logan's vision began to blur as he spoke with his Wookie friends, the next thing he knew, he was lying next to Chuundar's corpse. Blurred figures flitted in front of his eyes as the lights began to swing.

"Logan! We need to get him back to the ship!" Bastila desperately tried to lift him to his feet as his consciousness weaned. Logan barely remembered the journey back to the ship, he was delirious as they pulled him into the medical bay.

"Bas...Bastila.." He murmured as he drifted in and out of consciousness. She squeezed his hand, trying to let him know she was there. "Bas...I love...Bas... ni...kar'taylir darasuum...gar." The sedatives that Jolee injected quickly kicked in and he melted away into sleep, leaving two confused jedi standing over him.

"Why would suddenly speak in Mando'a?" Jolee asked, his tone darker than Bastila was expecting.

"I, I don't know...he knows many languages but why he would come out with that one..."

"I'm not surprised he does, considering is past." Bastila's face turned white as the old man spoke.

"W...what?"

"Come on Bastila, I may be old but I am not a fool, we both know he is."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" She hissed, lowering her voice. Jolee's face turned serious as he proceeded to tell Bastila his thoughts on the matter.

"You need to tell him the truth!"

"I cant do that! If he ever finds out he..."

"He wont love you any more? Don't be ridiculous! But the longer you leave it, the worse it'll be."

"What if he changes?" her voice was barely above a whisper now, the fear shone through every word.

"My dear, he is already Revan in all but name." Jolee left a fearful Bastila standing over her bond mates body, unsure if he was still going to be the man she loved. Revan or Logan?


	25. Chapter 21

**I'm terribly sorry about the delay, my computer had been on its way out for a while and finally decided to die during the summer, taking the original version of this chapter with it. It took me ages to save up for a new computer and I found this section difficult enough to write anyway, even more so having to do it twice. I hope you like it, please keep reviewing! It really spurs me on!**

_Mist clouded his vision, terror seeped into every aspect of his mind, where was she? Why couldn't he see her?_

"_Logan! Logan help me!" He was beginning to panic now, the suffering in her voice caused the fear to grip his heart. _

"_Bastila? I cant see you! Bastila!" He franticly searched his surroundings but his vision was blurred. _

"_The dark side calls to you Bastila," A metallically tinged voice hissed in the darkness. "You hunger to taste it...become my apprentice and all of its power can be yours!"_

"_Do you think that torture can turn me?" A weak voice replied, the suffering it held filled the room._

"_Torture? No?" The metallic voice chuckled. "This but a taste of the dark side to wet your appetite!" A thunderous clap of lightning erupted in the darkness, followed by a spine chilling scream,HER SCREAM! The smell of burnt flesh filled his senses, no! He had to save her!_

"_Logan please! Please help me!" He charged forward, ignoring the haze that blocked his path, his only concern was to protect her from the darkness that massed. He could see her now, Malak was torturing her! Before he could get to Bastila, a tall figure moved in front of him, the stranger's hands moved to his shoulders and shook him firmly. In place of a face the man sported a dark Mandalorian mask, a mask that had become so instantly recognisable throughout the galaxy, a mask that could only be identifiable with one person._

"_Wake up Revan." The electronically modified voice of the man said as he shook Logan by the shoulders._

"_W...What?" _

"_Revan, you need to wake up, your journey is not over yet, you are still needed."_

"_I...I..." _Before he could finish his train of thought, consciousness washed over Logan, cold reality set in as he found himself in the medical bay of the Ebon Hawk, the weathered face of Jolee filled his vision and the concern it held made him feel instantly uneasy.

"Logan, are you awake?" He didn't want to reply, he simply wanted to forget the troubles of the galaxy, forget his nightmares, forget the truth, but he couldn't forget, he remembered.

"Are you awake? Are you all right?"

"Do I have to answer?" Logan croaked as he dragged himself to the edge of the bed, a single thought began to play on his mind as the fear quickly began to spread.

"Where is Bastila? Is she safe? Is she all right?"

"She's resting in her quarters, why?" Logan was on his feet immediately, his senses were returning to him now. Ignoring the protests of the old man, he powered through the corridors of the ship, desperate for conformation of her safety, in truth, he could feel her through the force, but he had to be sure, to see her with his own eyes. The relief he found at Bastila's slumbering form proved to be a cold comfort for Logan, he knew what he had seen, he knew it was a premonition, for how long could he keep her safe?

The mysterious eyes of Jolee silently observed Logan as he slumped into one of the seats in the main hold, his cheeky, carefree demeanour that he so effortlessly wore was gone, in its place was a dark, heavy semblance.

"You look as if you've got the weight of the galaxy on your shoulders kid." Jolee grunted as he sat on the seat opposite. He glanced up at the old man, the darkness that was evident seemed to extend well beyond his aura.

"Maybe I do...Billions of lives, the death of a planet...its like I can feel their blood on my skin...I keep having these dreams, visions maybe, each time he's there but this time...he spoke to me."

"Who?"

"Revan..." The word itself turned the air cold the second that it escaped from Logan's lips. "Each time I close my eyes he's there...its as if the walls between our minds are crumbling." Jolee stayed silent for a few moments, he didn't seem shocked by Logan's revelation, but his clear sidestep of the Revan issue left the young man feeling even more concerned.

"Visions you say?"

"Well...most of them have seemed like Revan's memories but the last one...it was different."

"What did you feel during this vision?"

"Fear, pain, suffering...darkness."

"Is it yourself you speak of?"

"...Bastila, she...she was being tortured," The mere thought of what Malak did to her made the words in his mouth turn to bile, he carried on regardless, desperate to share his fears with someone.

"She was calling out for me to help...I couldn't see her, I could feel her...I could feel the unbelievable pain she was in but I couldn't get to her..._he_ blocked my way."

"He spoke to you?" Logan replied with a silent nod. He pressed his fingers deep into the sides of his temples as he spoke.

"I can feel him, all the time now...just behind my eyes...I don't know what's happening to me, I...I'm not even sure who I am any more. When he spoke to me, he...he addressed me as Revan. He's trying to take over, he's chipping away at my mind and sooner or later he's going to surface. I know! I know it sounds crazy!" Logan snapped after catching a glimpse of the old man's expression. He began to circle the room in an effort to drown out his worry but if anything, he became more agitated with every step.

"Just think about it," Logan continued after pacing past Jolee for the fifth time, "Revan was able to get into here..."He slapped the sides of his head as he spoke, in an effort to try and draw the poison out, but it was too late now, Revan had begun to take hold. "He was able to get into here because of my bond with Bastila...what ever spark of his life that remained has latched on to me, he's growing in strength all the time." Jolee stroked the sides of his goatee in contemplation, it wasn't his place to reveal the truth, he couldn't help but sneer at the supposed wisdom and compassion of the jedi council, how could they leave him fumbling about in the darkness like this?

"Look kid, I don't think I'm the best person to be talking to about this...perhaps Basti..."

"NO! No...I don't want her knowing about this."

"But surely she should be told..."

"I'm warning you old man," Logan's voice dropped to an unnaturally low pitch as he continued. "Don't say one word to her about this...I shouldn't of mentioned it, just...just forget I said anything." Jolee was left feeling completely disconcerted as Logan silently stormed out of the room, his future was drenched in mist and uncertainty, which path would the young jedi choose? No it was not his place to act, he would simply watch silently from the shadows and be ready to act if necessary. _"Compassion? Ha! That boy's trapped in hell itself!" _Deciding to meditated on this further, Jolee shuffled off towards his quarters, he sincerely hoped that he would gain more clarity on the issue before they touched down on Manaan.

Logan stood mutely over Bastila's dormant frame, he quickly became entranced by her shallow breaths. Her whole body seemed to sing to him as it skipped so fluidly from inhalation to exhalation. As soothing as her presence was however, he realised the inevitably of his situation, his thoughts were consumed by his dreams...and by Revan.

Exhaustion soon began to descend upon the troubled man, and with it fear, fear of what lurked in his subconscious. Revan seemed to be growing in strength all the time, his own memories however, were beginning to blur and fade away. Would still be the same man tomorrow? He began to roam the corridors of the ship in a desperate attempt to stave off sleep but he knew that his efforts would be in vein. He was panicking now as fatigue forced itself upon him, he didn't want to go back into that man's mind, he didn't want to feel like he was evaporating. Before sleep could claim him, he let out a defiant roar of no before slumping to the floor of the Ebon Hawk. Deep blues and murky greens coloured his vision, was he awake or dreaming?

"_I won't go mad, I won't...IWILL NOT GO MAD!" _Were the last thoughts that swam in his mind before the realm of dreams fully took him in.

"I...nk he's...wake..."

"d we try..o...ve him?"

"nt know...an...Lo..n...c..you hear me?" A haze of figures surrounded him, he strained hard to see them but he couldn't focus. His lids slowly closed as he forced himself to take in the world around him. The cold, harsh metal of the ship was grating mercilessly into his body, this was a stark contrast to what he felt pressing into his hand. Warmth and comfort danced across his skin as a gentle pressure from feminine fingers was applied to his palm.

"_Revan wake up, you are still needed."_ An all too familiar voice whispered from the depths of his mind. His eyes shot open, ignoring the harsh light that greeted them, no...no he would not go mad. Dark lashes flitted from face to face, taking in the expressions of worry that came with them, finally, his green gaze settled on the wrinkled face of Jolee. His demeanour was one of muted concern and, was that pity? _"Pity? No, no no that can't be right...He can't, I wont...wont let this...thing take hold." _

"I'm all right, I just..just dozed off for a minuet." Logan mumbled as he shot to his feet, batting away any offers of help.

"Logan, you collapsed in the hallway, you did not just 'doze off!'" Bastila snapped, her pitch was unrecognisable, and she was clearly close to the point of tears. The very thought him in danger was...unbearable. Her sapphire orbs poured over his body searching tirelessly for any sign of ailment. "We need to get you to the medical bay."

"NO!" He instantly regretted his tone of voice, he knew she was simply worried about him, and her affection meant the galaxy to him, but still, she could never find out about his torments.

"I'm sorry Bas," Logan murmured in his usual husky, intense tone. He rubbed the back of Bastila's wrist with his thumb as he spoke, every minuscule movement was utter pleasure and relief for each party. "I just can't bare to spend another bloody minuet in the med bay, besides I'm feeling much better now and I'm sure that the fresh airs of Manaan will do me the world of good." He turned to Carth with a look of alert certainty in his eye, it was deliberately placed there in order to let everyone know he was fine, in reality however he was as far from fine as it was as physically possible to be.

"Have we touched down yet?"

"Y..yeah, about an hour ago, look Logan, if your not up to this I could lead the ground team."

"Thanks Carth but no thanks, Manaan may be a neutral world but there will still be a heavy sith presence and somehow I suspect we wont get a pleasant welcome, an all jedi party would be best for the direct mission, but don't worry, I have other plans for you." He finished with a wry smile. Carth was intrigued with what the man had planned now.

"OK, what are you thinking Logan?"

"All in good time," He chuckled while patting his friend on the cheek as he moved past. "All in good time...Jolee, Bas, grab your gear you're with me."

The three jedi patiently waited for the Hawk's ramp to lower, as it finally hit the floor, the unmistakeable sound of metal on metal resonated throughout the docking bay, this did little to distract two men that were engaged in a heated argument a few metres away from the ship.

"Lets go see what the fuss is about shall we?" Logan sighed as he began to traipse down the exit ramp. As he drew closer, he could see that the sparring parties were a sith and republic officer, _"This is just ridiculous!"_ Logan thought to himself, _"How can the _Selkath_ think that neutrality is a good position to hold? There is nothing worse than apathy!"_

"You Republic people are so pathetic," The sith snorted, clearly his venom was already in full flow. "Sitting around grovelling for any table scraps that the galactic senators decide to chuck you. It makes me sick!"

"The senators work for the good of the whole galaxy, not for individual gain!" The republic soldier protested, falling so easily for the bait that the sith had thrown him.

"Don't make me laugh, you gutless simp! It's the destiny of weak-minded fools like you to be ruled over by the strong, like we sith!"

"I'm warning you sith!" The soldier growled as he clenched his fists. "Don't push me, or you'll get just what you're asking for!" The sith gave the soldier a sadistic smile as he realised he'd won.

"Try it. Just _try_ it, I'd love to see you throw the first punch. And with all the cameras around, the fish would be all over you inside of 30 seconds. You break their laws; you pay the price, Republic scum." The sith revelled in the hatred and frustration of his opponent, the only think that could be more pleasurable would be squeezing the life out of his body, but since that was not an option, he would have to make do with tormenting him instead.

"However it is clearly obvious that you're not enough of a man to back up your words anyway. But if you do ever feel like relieving yourself of your worthless existence, feel free to come by our enclave here. We have many, many ways to grant your wish."

Logan moved towards the republic soldier as the sith puled away, the man needed to vent his anger and had chosen his target before he realised just who he was.

"Yeah what do wa...? Oh I'm so sorry master jedi, please forgive my outburst, I shouldn't of been so rude." Logan raised his hand in an attempt to halt the apology.

"Its understandable son, the sith get us all flustered. Now what's the news on surface?"

"Well as you may of just gathered, the Selkath are still sticking with this dammed neutrality law, still intent supplying each side with kolto, greedy bastards!"

"OK, just tell me where the republic embassy is located."

"Oh, would you like me to show you?"

"Directions will be fine thank you."

"Well its near the visitor residences, you just go north from here, then south past the port official and the first courtyard, east into the second courtyard, north then east again. You got that?"

"Yup, that's perfect, thanks."

"It's been an honour meeting you master jedi." The young man said with a bow.

"No, the honour is mine." Logan replied while squeezing the man's shoulder. After he left, Logan turned to his companions with a look of hopelessness on his face.

"Well, this is going to be fun."


	26. Reader update 5

**Hi there, **

**just to let readers know that I have re-worked chapter one of this story, I didn't feel it flowed well with the rest of the story as it was written over two years ago and I think my writing has improved since then. I haven't changed it too much but I couldn't leave it as it was.**

**Another chapter will be up in the next few days, please keep reviewing, feedback really helps me!**


	27. Chapter 22

**Hi there,**

**Sorry this took a little longer than expected to finish, I have a good excuse, it was my first week at university, I made this one a little longer as an apology. Keep reviewing!**

Bastila looked on in concern as her bond mate proceeded to devour the plate of food in front of him. Hunger had been the last thing on Logan's mind until this point, he couldn't deny his base needs any longer, however.

"Logan, are you...OK?" Worry seeped into her voice as she watched her companion turn his attention to the one remaining deep sea roll that adorned his plate.

"By the force! So the boy's worked up an appetite, its normal, besides...he has to build his strength up after Kashyyk." The gruff reassurances of Jolee did little to put Bastila's mind at ease.

"I'm fine!" Logan spat, his voice muffled by the contents swilling in his mouth. "Are you eating that?" He grunted while licking his lips, seemingly oblivious to the looks of horror on some of the more refined residents of the establishments faces. As Jolee slid his half-eaten plate towards Logan, a feeling of recognition tingled along his spine. He ignored the feeling for the moment, taking little notice of the bustling cantina's entity's. Moments later an anxious yet composed looking woman drifted towards their booth, none of the party had taken a particular interest in their surroundings, so she coughed and said,

"I'm sorry to bother you," whereupon Jolee got up so suddenly, he banged his head on the lighting overlooking his seat. She turned to the bar and ordered herself a drink -which, as had been the moves intention, gave the old man time to compose himself.

"I didn't think that Manaan was your kind of place Jolee," The older woman said as she slid into the seat beside Bastila. "planets engulfed in civil war with plants that are likely to eat you, that is where you are most at home." Decades were stripped away from Jolee as he greeted his old friend. The years had been kind to her, if anything she was more attractive now than in her youth.

"Elora! If I'd of known you were here, I would of left Kashyyk years ago!"

"You were still on Kashyyk? I heard you crashed their with that smuggler, what was his name? Mccrumb?"

"I decided to stay on."

"Dead now I suppose."

"Who?"

"The Mccrumb fellow."

"Oh yes, everybody's dead."

"Not everybody, not yet anyway." Jolee looked on in confusion as Elora's composure deserted her and she began weeping into her brandy. Bastila dabbled with the idea of putting her arm round the older woman, but found the notion too alien from her preferred methods of providing comfort-which tended to be sharing her extensive knowledge of the jedi code to the person in crisis. She decided that it would be best to leave the comforting up to the men sitting opposite her, Logan was already on the case, squeezing the hand of Elora's that was not nursing her drink. Before, it had never really bothered her that she was useless at providing succour to those who required it, if anything their weakness had irritated her, now her aloofness shamed her. She looked on in envy at her bond mate, he found it so easy to connect with people in a way that she just couldn't.

"Its Sunry," Elora sobbed, drawing Bastila from her stupor. "He...he's been arrested!"

"Arrested! Whatever for?" Jolee blurted out, slamming his hands on the table in the process. Sunry was a respectable man, he couldn't fathom the idea of him being in trouble with the law. A man could change a lot in thirty years, but not Sunry.

"He's been accused of murder!"

"Did he do it?" The bluntness of Logan's question irked the older pair.

"What? No!"

"Sunry's a good man, I know him from my republic days, he would never murder anyone!"

"Republic, so he's a soldier? He _has _killed people then."

"Well...yes...but not like that." Elora became flustered at the sudden interrogation she was facing and decided to cut the conversation short. "Jolee, you know us. You know Sunry would never do anything like this, please help us!"

"I wish I could my dear, but its not my place to decide." Jolee shot a glance over to the younger man, leaving Elora's expression to change from hope to fear. Logan rubbed his neck in contemplation as he internally debated time constraints.

"Well...I was going to have Carth see about getting us a deal on republic kolto, but I suppose I can do that. He can head the investigation and we'll help after we've got what we came for. I'll call him now." Logan reached into his pocket and produced his comlink, after a few clicks Carth's voice broke through.

"What? What is it you want me to do?"

"I said I want you to gather a party and meet me in the cantina." The young jedi repeated for the fifth time, he was sure that Carth feigned deafness just to irritate him and he knew it worked all to easily. He pressed his hands into his temples, as he usually did when frustrated. They did not have time for this delay.

Carth was relived to find himself emancipated from guard duty, taking a back seat in proceedings was a rarity for him before this mission, so the prospect of action was thrilling. The soldier kept one hand close to his blaster as he entered the cantina, he had already made out six, no seven sith occupying the area and he didn't want to take any chances where they were concerned. This whole situation was completely baffling. How could the Selkath be so blind? If the sith had their way, Manaan and its people would be enslaved! A strong hand shot up at the back of the cantina and was waved about vigorously. Carth gently pushed past the thick crowd and eventually made it to his destination

"All right, I'm here, what was the dammed emergency?" Carth's eyes briefly drifted over every occupant of the booth, but eventually settled on Elora. Had he seen her before? His mind began to scramble over every piece of information he could find, he knew her face, he was sure of it.

"Sunry! You're married to Sunry Worton, I remember. He gave a talk at the academy some years ago...he showed us his Hero's Cross."

"Yes, well," Logan interjected, seeing that Elora was too polite to deny any knowledge of the encounter. "Our time is running shorter by the second, Carth I don't think Sunry's Hero's Cross is going to help him here...he has been charged with murder, if anything the fact that he was a soldier will count against him. I need you to investigate the murder, be subtle, be thorough, and try not to get yourself killed. Now I imagine you will want to question Elora, we will take our leave." The trio of jedi stood, and exited the cantina in silence.

Streams of Manaan's famously blue sunlight caressed Logan's face as he stepped onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard that dominated Ahto west. He peered over the railing, desperate to get a better look at the tranquil blue of the waves that were so softly lapping against the city's walls. The water itself was said to heal the soul, indeed, this whole planet possessed harmonic qualities Logan had never before experienced. Salty-fresh air filled his lungs as he reached out towards the waves, hopeful to capitalise on their powers, he needed mental soothing right now. His fingers extended as far as their reach allowed, mere inches away from the water, but not close enough. He swung his hand about in frustration, refusing to give in to his body's constraints, his determination was to no avail, he would not receive his soothing of the soul, _"And maybe I don't deserve it,"_ he found himself thinking. He pulled back from the railing and used that same hand to sweep the ebony hair from his eyes. Even in his disappointment, the panoramic feel of this place was undeniable. His companions felt it to, Jolee had his eyes shut, his breathing was slow and controlled, he had opened himself completely to the force and to the planet, seeking to harmonise himself with Manaan's natural flow. Bastila herself was now hanging over the railing, staring into the deep, the waters were so clear, so pure, so endless.

"Magical," She muttered, now looking out towards the distance, entranced by the rise and fall of the boundless waves, each mightier than the last. The vastness of the ocean was contrasted completely with the absolute sense of life she got while looking at it.

"Isn't it the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" She whispered to Logan, her breath almost lost to the sea's. He couldn't help but smile as she looked on in wonder.

"No." Was his reply, it was a word that held only truth in its saying, he left no room for debate as he spoke it. She turned to him and smiled warmly, he knew that she understood what he meant, but he had to be clear, to say it again to make sure she knew that he meant it. He placed his hands on her slender shoulders and looked deep into her stormy blue depths which were, in his eyes, even more vast and mysterious than the oceans here. Her lips quivered at his touch, but mingled within their electricity was safety, a safety she could only find with him.

"Bastila,_ you _are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, I love you...and I will remind you of this every day that I'm with you." He slid his hand under hers and kissed the luminous skin that he found there. Logan then turned his attention to those lips that he had once again found himself admiring. He ran his course thumb along her bottom lip, she closed her eyes and smiled at the sensation of his touch and pressed her face deeper into his hand.

"Do you mind if I kiss you now?" He purred.

"No, not at all." As soon as she granted him permission, he pressed his lips into hers, pulling her as close as he physically could and pouring his feelings into her in the process. After they parted, a broad smile appeared on Bastila's face, she was smiling at the absolute devotion he had put into that kiss. She was no expert on such things of course, but she could feel everything that he was trying to convey through it, and that touched her heart.

"C'mon, we should get moving." He finally said after a number of uncounted moments, she nodded silently as he led her away from the balcony. As they were leaving, Logan snapped his fingers a few times in front of Jolee's face, drawing him out of his force induced stupor.

"Lets move, Ahto East Central is not far from here." He told his party as they left the tranquillity of the waters edge.

The bulky metal doors that hid the Republic enclave from view slowly ground open, Logan was expecting something different than this cold, plain looking room, adorned with nothing other than the empty faces of those who walked within its halls. Logan shook his head as he moved silently towards the desk placed strategically in the centre of the room, the first step towards winning the hearts and minds of the locals was showing them that the Republic could make life better for everyone, to Logan it was clear that whoever was in charge here had not leaned that lesson yet. The man operating the desk didn't look like the most charismatic sort, he had no natural flare about him. What little hair that remained on his head was white, and a stark contrast to his dark skin. A full beard covered his face, it was as white as his hair and even more unkempt, flecks of grey could still be found within. As Logan got closer he looked at him more intently, the man's deep blue eyes held a warmth that the jedi found both surprising refreshing. His weathered face was also plump and the broad smile that he was projecting to the new guests made him look even more gregarious than he would of done anyway.

"Yes? Can I help you?" The practiced voice of the man spoke as he rose to greet the jedi. The man radiated a sense of calmness that seemed to suddenly extend all round the room.

"Yes, yes you can," Logan said confidently as he arrived at the desk. "Are you the one in charge here?"

"Yes I am, my name is Roland Wann. How can I help you?"

"I'm looking for something on the planet...an ancient artefact known as a Star Map, know anything about it?" Roland crossed his arms as he answered, sitting and leaning back into the chair behind him.

"An ancient Star Map...I couldn't tell you very much about that." Logan contemplated entering his mind with the force, he knew Roland was lying, he didn't have time for this, it would be so easy to get the information he required, but no. This man was probably conditioned against mental assaults and Logan knew that he needed the Republics help to get to his prize, he would have to play the long game. Logan pushed the edge of his cloak to the side to reveal a shimmering cylindrical object, Roland's eyes widened as he slammed the lightsaber down onto the Republic ambassador's desk.

"Now, I assume you know what this is," Logan began, his pitch deliberately higher than usual in an attempt to point out the desperation of the situation. "apart form my friend here," He pointed over in Jolee's direction and the old man gave a wave. "only two types of people carry these weapons, I think you have already gathered that I am not a sith. I am on a mission ordered by the jedi council, a mission that is vital to the continuation of the Republic. Finding that Star Map is essential, will you help me?" After a few moments the older man had regained his composure, he had stopped sweating at least, Roland never was too comfortable around these jedi types, not enough accountability. He did respect their power however, he had heard a story of a single jedi taking down entire regiment of troops, other tales told of jedi being able to bring down towns and cities with their minds. He needed that kind of power right now.

"You say your mission is vital to the Republic jedi, well so is mine. Help me and I shall help you."

"What do you require?" Logan's deep voice growled, irritation seeping through despite his best efforts to suppress it.

"One of our automated droids went down nearly a day ago." Roland began, clasping his hands together and rubbing the dry skin on his knuckles as he spoke, Logan couldn't decide if this man was nervous about the droid or him. "We've lost contact with it over for over twelve hours, and we have reason to suspect that the sith got to it. It has valuable data on the kolto harvest that would be devastating if it fell into the hands of the sith, we believe that it has been moved to their embassy. You get this droid back and I promise to give you all the aid you need jedi. Do you agree?" Logan hesitated for a while, he knew that Wann held the upper hand, but he had a bad feeling about this. This man may have had a kindly look in his eye but he was slippery through and through, a practised liar and, Logan suspected, fully prepared to screw over anybody and everybody when necessary. The young man sighed and brushed his fingers against the bristles covering his chin.

"How the bloody hell am I going to get into the sith embassy?"

"There are three options." Roland began, smiling as he realised that Logan was coming round to the idea of helping him. "One, you can decrypt a pass card that will give you access to the base, two, you could interrogate a sith spy we captured a few nights ago, he possesses the code for the base, or three, you could use the shuttle we have on standby. That way we could get you straight into the base." Logan's hand went to the back of his neck, he rubbed his fingers deeply into the skin, trying to expel some of the pent up tension in his body. He didn't know which path would be best, using the shuttle would be quickest but their presence would be detected straight away, leading to outright fighting. Decrypting a pass card could be next to impossible, he didn't have much experience in this sort of thing, maybe if he had brought Mission with him.

"_I do have some skill in persuasion."_ He modestly allowed. It was, he decided, the most sensible decision, a way to get through the front door quickly and undetected, he could also find out more about the layout of the base from the prisoner.

"Well? Have you decided?" Roland was anxious to get this plan on its feet, the idea of the sith having incriminating information on the republic was too much for him to bare. He sank deeper into his seat as the jedi took his time.

"Come on!" Roland found himself suddenly angry at the man's measured pace. "I don't have all day!" He shouted, all pretence of calmness gone. Logan shot him a withering glance, in that moment he wished that he had pulled the information that he needed painfully from his head, no, no he wouldn't.

"I have decided to interrogate the prisoner."

"Good, good!" Roland sighed, sounding more relived than he intended to. "Just go through that door over there. The man stationed there will give you the information you need. Good luck." The jedi strode towards the room which opened with a whoosh as he approached.

"He's the one on the left." A guard said, pointing to the cage which housed the prisoner with his rifle. His raspy voice seemed to make him perfect for the job of prison guard.

"What can you tell me about this guy?"

"Sith spy, caught him casing our embassy several nights ago, Typical mental conditioning received," The guard handed Logan a thin metal pad, it contained different notes relating to the prisoner, most interesting Logan thought, was detailed information relating to his wife. The guards chubby fingers wrapped tightly around his weapon as the prisoner began to stir.

"Truth serum can help to loosen him up a bit, but as you can see," He motioned to the cage once more. "you can get him into a bit of a state if you overdose him. The panel is on the wall over there." Logan studied the prisoner for a few moments, he was slumped on the floor, awkward and angular looking. His narrow face rose with some difficulty in order to get a better look at his captor.

"Right, lets begin." Logan said, moving towards the cage. He decided not to use the truth serum for the moment, gaining trust was plan A.

"J...jedi..." The prisoner slurred, noticing the long metal object hanging beside Logan's leg. "what do you want? I wont tell you a dammed thing!" As thin and pale as this man was, there was still much defiance in him.

"I'm just here to talk, that's all." Logan's voice was smooth and calming, it was so easy for him to slip into a character, become whoever he needed to be, Bastila found herself wondering if that was what he did with her.

"You think I'll talk to you? Ha! You're as stupid as you look!"

"But I am going to ask you questions, I am being nice at the moment, I warn you though my patience is already running thin, I can be quite nasty when provoked. So I say again, I am here to talk." The man hesitated for a few moments, listening couldn't hurt could it? He shrugged awkwardly and let out a sigh, long wrists dangling between his knees.

"I'll listen...I don't promise anything though."

"Good, I want the pass code for the sith base, I want to know what sort of security they have and I want to know if and how many dark jedi are inside."

"Your crazy! You think even if I did know I would tell you?" Logan's exterior did nothing to betray the anger rising within him, he took a deep breath as he consulted his notes on the man.

"The man you were caught with is close to braking...I'm sure he has some interesting information on you...information that will get you a lengthy jail sentence."

"A jail sentence will be a paradise compared to what the sith will do to me if I talk."

"And if you don't talk and we let you go then what? Do you really think that the sith will welcome you back with open arms?" The man blinked a few times and looked on silently.

"Do you really think that they will take that chance? They will kill you simply for being captured!"

"No, your wrong! They wouldn't." Logan could feel the man's resolve wavering, he was so close to giving in."

"Listen to me, the Republic can protect you," The jedi moved closer to the cage, every step was calculated, designed to show a strengthening of trust, as if he was coaxing someone down from a roof. "all you have to do is give me the information I seek, I promise you will be safe." The man wanted to believe him, the jedi's emerald orb's were filled with nothing but sincerity, but he couldn't.

"You're full of shit! You can't protect me! If they found out I talked I'm dead!" Logan clenched his jaw as he walked over to the panel, slamming his fingers onto the keypad he typed in the command 'high dosage'. A device round the prisoners wrist activated, producing an frighteningly large syringe filled with orange liquid, the man writhed about as the fluid was pumped into his blood stream. He sat there as the truth agent took hold, his head swung loosely from side to side and saliva dripped from his mouth. Logan checked his notes once more as he returned to the cage, the kind smile he once wore was gone now.

"You better talk fast, the men who have Tela are not the kindest people I know." The man's eyes shot open, he tried to stand but his legs were no use now.

"T...Tela...what have...you done to her?" His words were almost incomprehensible now, Logan needed to act fast.

"If...you've hurt...her..."

"She is safe...for now."

"I...I can't" In a heartbeat, Logan was next to the cage, he slammed his hands against the force field protecting the prisoner causing him to scramble backwards towards the wall, he stared at the cowering form of the man, a ferocious snarl was on his lips now.

"TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW OR SHE WILL SUFFER I SWARE IT!"

"All...all right. I'll tell you," The man said, nuzzling his chin against his knees. "just...just please...please don't hurt Tela. The code is Z245698A...that's all I know." He finished before passing out. Logan stood there for a few seconds, he had wanted more information from the man, but that didn't matter now, he had what he needed. Silently, he left the room as calmly as he had entered, in truth he rather enjoyed that, bending people to his will was something he had always shown a natural aptitude for.

"You were quite good at that." The detached voice of Bastila spoke, pulling him away from his thoughts. Her tone had intended to purely observational but the distinct lack of feeling she had used in the saying made it painfully obvious that something was wrong.

"And?" Was all Logan could muster, not slowing down for a second.

"I assume that's just how you are...only showing a side of yourself that you think someone wants to see." Logan stopped in his tracks, the idea that she saw him that way hurt, she knew him better than that, surely?

"Yes, I am good at lying...I always have been. Sometimes it is easier to give people what they want. But not with you. That's one of the things I love about you Bas, I only have to be myself." Guilt shot up Bastila's spine as he spoke, she dropped her head and cursed her predicament yet again. If only it didn't have to be this way, if only she didn't have to lie. Logan placed his fingers under her chin and lifted her head to meet his gaze.

"I would never lie to you Bastila. If you want to know anything, ask."

"I'm sorry." She whispered, unable to prevent the tears from rolling down her cheeks. He didn't question, he just pulled her into his alleviating embrace. She felt disgusting, taking his comfort along with his memory, he could never know.

"We should get moving," Logan's deep voice finally roused as Bastila composed herself. "It shouldn't take us too long to get to the sith base if we hurry."

"Ha! Speak for yourself!" Jolee's gritty voice shouted as he finally caught up to the pair. "It'll take me all sodding year to get there!" Logan allowed himself a quick chuckle before he set off towards the sith base.

"Halt!" A guard clad in grey uniform called out as the jedi neared the sith base, he extended his hand to emphasise his order. "What's the password?"

" Z245698A ." Logan answered flatly. The guard fingered his datapad for a few moments before signalling that they could enter. No sooner had the jedi entered the first door were they stopped again. This time by a woman with a blaster in one hand and her other hovering over an alarm.

"What are you doing in here? I don't know you!"

"Calm down." Logan urged as he stepped towards her with his hands in front of him. "The guard let me in, I know the password. I have business here."

"I have this weeks schedule and no one matching your description is on the list! You have five seconds to tell me what you're doing here or else!" Her hand was now dangerously close to the alarm.

"Please step away from the alarm, I don't want to hurt you but I will if I have to." The woman smiled at his answer as her hand hit the button, in the blink of an eye she went sailing across the room, slamming against the wall with a crack. Logan's blade flew into his hand as several doors whooshed open, its green glow joined by yellow and purple. From the doors poured dozens of battle droids, they crowded the room in seconds, blasters ready. They were followed by a single sith carrying a vibroblade, he looked rather pleased to be involved with some action, that was until he saw the lightsabers.

"Jedi...ATTACK!"

"Well," Logan began, swinging his blade a few times in preparation for the battle that was about to follow.

"This isn't good."


	28. Chapter 23

**Hi there, **

**phew it's been a while but what can I say...life got in the way. I should really try to be more organised and I will be in the future. I want this finished so I can write my new story. Don't forget to review, thanks! **

**(P.S) The next one will be up in a week or so (cross fingers) and will be a lot longer.**

Neon bolts of red were illuminating the room, sailing towards their targets and bouncing back again. The crimson blasts dissipated when they met their owners shields, creating small ripples in the orange glows surrounding the Mark I Assault Droids that were slowly advancing towards the three jedi. The room had now filled with smoke and the smell of heat from the blasters pierced Logan's senses. He grappled with his frustration as he deflected another barrage of fire, his verdant sabre a blur around his head. It was his fault that they were in this mess, if had been more decisive, killed the woman before she had time to alert security, then this fire fight could have been avoided. He mentally smacked himself for letting his thoughts drift, now was not the time for a self inflicted guilt trip. He pulled his cloak to the side with his right hand as a blade flew off his belt and activated in mid air. The levitating sabre lurched towards the closest droid, slamming itself against the energy shield protecting it,

"Try to focus on this one! THIS ONE!" Logan barked, his companions quickly carried out his orders, deflecting the fire towards the the droid in question. Soon the energy protecting it began to flicker and die, leaving the machine completely vulnerable to the rouge lightsaber's attack. The blue blade clawed deep into the metal presented to it, hacking away until all that was left of the droid fell to the floor, obliterated.

"_This is no good!"_ Bastila's soft voice cried through their bond, she masked her fear well, most people would not of detected it, but he would not be fooled. He knew her too well for that. Every intake of breath, every inflection told him something was wrong. His green orbs darted towards her, then back quickly to his enemies, this was no time to loose focus._"They'll be upon us before we even take half of them down!"_ She reached for her bandoleer, producing a thermal detonator. Mark 1 energy shields were notoriously resistant to any type of sabotage, but she had to try something, that was until she felt Logan's presence flooding her mind, screaming at her to stop. She held the device in her hand for a few moments, seemingly oblivious to the chaos surrounding her. _"We need to try something Logan...force techniques haven't worked, they are almost upon us!" _She spared a glance towards him, she could barely see him now, but the green hue of his blade provided just enough light for her to notice the strain that was embedded deep within his features.

"_I know that! But trust me..using a weapon like that in such a confined space will do more harm to us than them!" _She hesitated for a few moments more, fingering the red activation switch of the heavy metal ball that lay in her hand. The world seemed to be moving in slow motion, all of her fears seemed to pass over her, the only thing audible was her heart beat.

"_You're right Logan." _She whispered through their bond after an agonising silence, moving the grenade back towards her bandoleer strap. Before the detonator was safely away, the lone sith that was present with the company of droids threw himself towards the female jedi, catching her off balance completely. Her golden blade was thrown up just in time to parry the vicious slash, but the force of the attack knocked her to the floor, dislodging the already loose grenade from its perch. The device hit the floor with a dull thud, cloaked by the disarray erupting around it. It rolled backwards, nestling beneath the security desk and drawing no attention whatsoever. Bastila was too busy fending off the encroaching sith to realise what had just happened, he was upon her now, pressing his vibroblade down with all his might.

"WHEN YOU'RE DEAD I'LL CLAIM YOUR LIGHTSABER AS MY OWN!" The sith spat with unbridled rage, pushing his blade down harder, she could feel the heat of her sabre, now so close to her neck. There had to be a way out of this.

Logan immediately turned towards Bastila, dismissing the approaching threat completely, Jolee quickly stopped him, she could handle herself, he argued. The old man was right, the droids were upon them, he had no time to be foolish. Jolee tried several times to push the enclosing enemies away with a blast of force energy, but he could only push them so far. There were just too many.

Bastila could see the desperate situation the other jedi were in, although hers was no better she feared for Logan more, the knowledge that she could not help, she could not save him was utterly debilitating. The sith smiled as he brought his disfigured face close to hers. He had won.

"Your friends are going to die," he snarled, a ferocious smile forming on his thin, shapeless lips. As he was speaking, she couldn't help but be intrigued and confused by the colour of those lips, she squinted harder to get a better look at them. As she did so his smile broadened, she assumed he must of mistaken her squinting for fear and decided to put him right later. They were a sort of bluey purple, a colour she assumed was surely associated with death. Or at least imagined they would be a close representation of what a persons lips would be like about a week after death, is this what the dark side did? Drained you of life and granted you death? Why was that so desirable to so many? She zoned back into reality as the sith continued to give voice to his hate. "and so are you!" He finished, he had now taken to silently mouthing words of hate as he began one final push that would end it all.

Logan felt something inside of him snap, a heat that had been gathering pace was now begging to be released, begging to be turned upon his enemies. He saw no option other than to comply, no reason to resist. He raised his hand high above his head and expelled the energy from his body, pushing it to the surface with devastating effects. A storm erupted from his fingertips, the explosion of electrical energy was apocalyptic. The purple tendrils branched out, connecting to the droids surrounding him. The sheer power of the lightning hurled his enemies back, scattering them to all corners of the room. The droids quickly began to melt, their bodies distorting into strange, spider like shapes. He did not relent however, the dark strands enveloped their victims, immediately disabling the energy shields surrounding them and shutting down the droids circuits in mere moments. Their metal bodies were still illuminated even after the lightning had subsided.

The sith spared a glance behind him, one glance, that was all Bastila needed. She gathered all of her strength together and pushed. The sith staggered backwards but quickly began to reapply himself, but this time she was ready, as he brought his weight down, she slid to the right bringing the other end of her yellow sabre up in the process and slamming it into the side of the sith's gut. he knelt there for a second, confused, this puny jedi would not be the death of him.

"Bas! Are you all right?" Logan grunted as he trotted towards her, all enemies now defeated.

"I was about to ask you the same thing...how...how did you do that?" She breathed as she glanced around in disbelief, her blue eyes resting on the mangled body of a droid in front of her. Logan's brow furrowed as he tried to piece together what had just happened. How had it happened? Truly, he did not know, but felt obliged to try and explain.

"I...I felt a heat building up in my body..." He began, staring at his hand, the hand that had just caused so much destruction, he looked closer. The tips of his fingers were ashen and charred, he snorted, closing his hand into a fist and continued.

"...In my limbs...I..." deep creases formed in his face as he forced himself to remember.

"I pushed...I pushed the heat to the surface...the energy...it was blinding, I did not know I could do that."

"It is a technique known as force lightning." Bastila interjected, looking deep into Logan's face as she spoke, what was she searching for he wondered. Was she expecting to find the source of his knowledge of this skill? He was more in the dark than her.

"Although that seemed to be a more advanced form than what I have previously witnessed, I have seen sith wield it before, it is a technique of the dark side." she explained as she clipped her blade to her belt.

"Dark side smark side!" Jolee grunted as he butted in. "The kid saved us did he not? Besides he didn't use it in anger did you?"

"I don't know...I don't think so..."

"Then that's good enough for me," the old man said while clasping a weathered hand on Logan's broad shoulder. "A sith does not worry about what type of power he uses, remember, its_ how_ you use it. Right Bastila?" Before she could answer, a throaty laugh filled the room. It started off as a chortle, an intense burst of emotion that at first sounded like desperation. Soon however it changed, becoming louder and more hearty, free of restraints. As Bastila turned round, she was greeted by the sight of the sith, he was slouched back against a wall, seemingly untroubled by the monstrous gash on his side. If anything he seemed completely elated. Bastila looked on in confusion as an uncontrollable wave of laughter engulfed him. He looked directly into her eyes and gave a smile of complete satisfaction as he raised his hand and showed her his palm, her thermal detonator was sitting in it. Logan's eyes widened with horror, he lurched towards his bond mate as the sith's finger pushed down on the red button. He shoved her out of the way, desperately trying to create a force barrier to shield the merciless blast. The sith erupted in a blast of light, the force of the explosion easily broke threw his barrier, throwing Logan into the air. He flew backwards, slamming hard into the metal wall a few feet away, his head smacked against the floor as he landed and blood quickly began gather around his face, seeping out onto the metal beneath him.

Clarity washed over Logan as he lay there, waiting to die. He couldn't help but feel released, free, even as the dark presence that had been hounding his mind moved closer, it felt more familiar than it had done before. This time he wasn't scared, and then he began to understand why. Through his hazed, blood spattered vision, he could see his friends running towards him, there was something in front of them though. A figure, clad in black, kneeling down next to him. It was Revan. He extended a gloved hand towards Logan, who took it unquestioningly. The young jedi was pulled to his feet by the figure. Then he smiled at him, masked no longer.

"_And and last you see...we are one." _Logan heard himself say. The man's face was younger than his, but it was aged and weighed down by troubles he could not see. It held more knowledge that he could of ever hoped to achieved. This could not be true, yet there was no denying what he knew to be fact. He was Revan. The figure walked towards him, absorbing completely into his body as if to confirm that they were in fact one.

"I remember."

Bastila stopped in her tracks as the man in front of her rose to his feet. The deep wound just behind his left eye was pouring with blood, the dark liquid was staining his cheek and running down past his neck. He seemed untroubled by it however.

"I remember." He muttered for a second time, his eyes were fixed on something in front of her, soon however, they settled on Bastila.

"_Oh force no!"_ She found herself thinking, she desperately tried to block their link, to shield her thoughts from his. Her mind was overflowing with worry. _"Please! Don't let him know! Don't let him be Revan!" _The man she loved couldn't be Revan. Revan, the saviour of a galaxy, Revan the murderer of millions. He couldn't. Her mouth was suddenly very dry and a heat swam around her face. She wondered if he was going to try to kill her, and then she realised, if he truly wanted to, she would be powerless to stop him.

Bastila had been lying to him this entire time! Was this her idea to begin with? Why not just let him die? So many questions were bubbling over the surface, most concerning Bastila. All this time, her affections had simply been a ploy to get close to his memories. No surely not, surely even the jedi council couldn't be that cruel. He pressed his hand deep into his face, pushing his fingers into the gash behind his eye. He pushed them in harder, searching for the bone, searching for the memories. They were coming back, flooding back in swarms.

"_All of my memories...all of Logan's memories...they are not my own...they are not real, they are false...just like him." _It was difficult to sort the real from the fake, and he only had fragments. There were huge patches of grey and black where his life should have been. In most areas he was blind, fumbling around in the darkness like a child without its mother. How could the jedi do this to him? How could Bastila do this to him? How could she look him in the eye day in day out how could she kiss him, touch him, share and comfort? How could she love a monster?

"Logan? Are you all right son?" Jolee gently queried, his hand hesitantly extending towards the man. Logan didn't acknowledge him, he didn't even notice him, he was too absorbed in his own thoughts. Bastila's voice had entered his head, it was a shadow of a conversation that had taken place what felt like so long ago.

"_What greater weapon is there than to turn an enemy to your cause?" _She whispered, while images of all Star Maps entered his mind at the same time. _"To turn their own knowledge against them."_

No, she loved him. She meant it when she said it, he was sure of it. Perhaps she was trying to protect him, to give him another chance, perhaps the jedi forced her into it. Perhaps she really did want a new life away from them, with him. Despite the knowledge of what he was, and what she had done, he loved her more than ever. But the same question came round again, how could she ever love a monster?

"Logan," her voice entered his head once more, but this was no memory. "Logan," she repeated, taking a shaky step towards him. She was still a measured distance away and, he observed, her hand was lurking around the lightsaber area. "Can you hear me?"

He lifted his head to meet her gaze. His deep green eyes burnt into her core, there was something utterly different about him.

"I remember."


	29. Reader update 6

**Hi there, **

**Just to let people know, I have edited a part of chapter 16. I made a big thing about Logan using lightning in the previous chapter, forgetting what I had written before. The next chapter is nearly finished, I was, it turns out, over ambitious, bordering on delusional when I claimed I could have it done in a week. I do promise, however that it will be up very shortly. I am finding less and less time to spare on this but I really want to keep going.**

**I hope people are still interested in this, please keep reading and reviewing!**


	30. Chapter 24

**Yes it has been a while!**

**I thought I had this chapter done weeks ago but it eluded me for a while. I have decided not to make any promises about when the next one will be done. I have already started it and I do have some good ideas and free time on my hands but with my track record when it comes to deadlines, who knows?**

**I am quite proud of this one and I hope you enjoy it! Please review!**

Bastila was rooted to the spot, fear paralysed her. The look on his face, it was a stranger staring back at her. Jolee decided to risk another gentle probe and waved his hand in front of the disturbed man's muddled features.

"Logan...what do you remember? Logan...can you hear me? Logan?"

There it was, _that _name again.

He cringed every time he heard it, they had taken everything from him. For all this time he had been nothing more than the councils brain dead lackey! They cared not one ounce for him, all of that comfort and familiarity he felt on Dantooine, he should of known then that there was something wrong, now everything had turned to ash. Bastila, she was the worst of them all, he refused, he would not love her ever again. She had betrayed him completely! How could he ever trust her?

Logan soon realized that he was staring through Bastila and quickly refocused his eyes onto hers. She was sweating, not even under the blazing fury of Tatooine's twin suns did she sweat. He looked on intently as one bead of perspiration worked its way down her pale brow. It was so hard to hate her, he should of found it easy, why was it so bloody hard to hate her? Oh how he wanted to, more than anything else in the galaxy he wanted to hate her. Why couldn't he? He didn't even know where to begin answering the question he just asked himself and inwardly sighed at the impossibility of his situation. The knowledge that even now, he was ready to give his life for her infuriated him. He closed his eyes.

In his mind, her lips were against his once more, his skin on hers. He could smell her, he could taste her. He was running those irresistible locks of auburn through his fingers, he was holding her so close to his chest, for he felt the galaxy would shatter if he let go.

Then he realised, _these_ were the memories that really mattered to him, the only ones he truly cared about, memories of her.

He knew now that there was no point resisting, he was hers and that was the way it was. He was glad of it. That night on Kashyyyk, the night he treasured above all others, he admitted his feelings and she replied in kind, the way she looked at him, the way she kissed him, there was only truth there. But she could only love a part of him. If that was the only way he could have her so be it, he would keep Revan hidden, locked away in the dark. He would ware the face of Logan to please her, he would suffer the humiliation gladly if it meant he could keep her.

Love did not do justice to the way he felt.

"Logan,"

_That _name pierced his ears again.

"Logan,"

He gritted his teeth.

"Logan,"

_THAT _NAME.

His head turned slowly to the left and met the grizzled features of Jolee with a cold stare.

"I heard you the first time." He growled flatly. His demeanour caused the old man to take a step back, but Logan's eyes remained glued to him.

"Are...are you OK boy..what is it that you remember?" He remained silent for a few moments and glanced towards Bastila. Her chest heaved as she gasped for the air that was becoming less and less

accessible. He quickly began to feign concussion and stumbled towards her.

"I re...remember what happened...the la.." He fell to his knees, mopping his bloodied brow with his sleeve.

"last time...I tried to rescue a...damsel in distress." He gave her a dashingly grim smile before rolling his eyes back. She was quickly convinced, and dropped to his level to aid him

"Yes well...I hardly consider myself a 'Damsel in distress'," She muttered while tending to the deep gash above his left eye, harking back to a conversation they had so long ago. She paused and looked at his wounded face, he had taken this for her, just like she always knew he would.

"I will admit that you rescued me, however." He looked up at her, shock plastered across his face.

"Well...I guess I better quit while I'm ahead then." He grunted, wincing in pain as she put her hand over the wound. It healed quickly. She pressed her lips into his forehead after she had scrubbed off the remnants of blood.

"There," She whispered, admiring her handy work. "All cleaned up."

"Thank you Bastila," He muttered after climbing to his feet, an expression completely alien to the young woman consumed his features. She shifted uncomfortably as his eyes lingered on her. She found his gaze heavy and uncompromising and lowered her head.

"I...I would do anything for you, you know that don't you?" His tone, there was something different, the sincerity was there but something else also, the guilt she felt was staggering. She didn't know how to answer without revealing the truth. She cared for him, more deeply than she could ever say, she loved him. But surely love was about honesty?

Honesty.

Something she could never give.

She backed away, keeping her eyes fixed to the floor, shoulders heavy with contrition. He put his hand on one of her arms, it was tense and lifeless.

"You're not...having second thoughts...about us are you?"

"What? No...I...it's just..." Maybe it would be for the best, she found herself thinking. Maybe the guilt would recede if she ended things.

"I suggest we move on." She said quietly before turning on her heel. Logan shrugged off the encounter and slid himself into the comfortable chair behind the reception desk before proceeding to hack the terminal there.

"I don't think this was too damaged by the blast...and there we go...easy peasy."

"What are you doing lad?" Jolee grunted half heartedly while salvaging any scraps he could from the mutilated droid carcasses that littered the room.

"...and I have complete control...sorry old man, what was that?" Logan mumbled as he began to punch various commands into the console.

"What are you doing, boy?" Logan shot his senior a dark smile as he walked over. A short bleep from the younger man's datapad told him that it had finished downloading a detailed map of the building.

"Just performing a bit of mild cyber terrorism, where is the harm in that?"

"What are you up to?" Bastila queried, sounding slightly more interested than the senior force user. Both jedi were now leaning over each of Logan's shoulders, intrigued and confused. Neither Jolee nor Bastila had any degree of skill with computers, after all, it wasn't something that the jedi held meaningful classes on. Logan sighed to himself, he had never been around people more dead to technology, it was a crime.

"I have just gained full access to the network. At first I was just going to download this map and hack a few cameras...but now..."

"...Now what?" Logan typed a few more commands into the screen and re-linked his datapad with the machine.

"With a little more exploration, I realised that this is a master terminal, I have control of everything."

"...so that means..." Logan spared a disgusted glance over at Jolee.

"I know that you have spent the past quarter of a century in a primitive wilderness, but please, do try to keep up." He slid another computer spike into the device before continuing.

"As this is a master terminal, I have access to all areas of the system. Cameras, defences, medical systems, maintenance, security, sith posts, I have it all."

"So does this mean that you can activate and disarm traps within the base?" Bastila queried, shifting on her feet.

"Precisely." Logan purred as he subconsciously added the remnants to his carefully formulated plan.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Aren't you gonna blow 'em to hell?" Jolee barked while pointing at several sith covering one of the cameras on the screen.

"If I was about as subtle as a rancor, perhaps." He sighed once more, handing his datapad over to the man behind him. Jolee squinted at the map that began to flicker across the screen, it was more detailed than larger one displayed on the terminal. After a few more clicks from Logan, different images began to add themselves to the larger map, clusters of red here and there, dull grey rectangles and flecks of green.

"I guess it doesn't take a genius to work out what the red is." Jolee quipped, Logan grunted in appreciation, but nothing more than that, he was too busy. Jolee turned and smiled with raised eyebrows at Bastila, as if to force his joke along. The glare he got made him quickly regret his course of action and he made a hasty retreat into his supply pack, quickly fishing out a half eaten wroshyr seed to snack upon.

"What are you going to do?" Bastila questioned hesitantly as she moved closer to the screen. She felt her heart thundering inside her chest as he turned to face her. His mouth was curved, pulled into a tight line with one corner slightly upturned. She could see that he had already calculated the odds of success inside his unknowable mind and was pleased with the outcome.

"I'm going to trap them," he said flatly, his pitch then dropped dramatically as he finished his sentence.

"I'm going to kill them." Both Jolee and Bastila stayed silent as Logan punched a few final commands into the computer in front of him. After he was done, he leapt off his chair, the charcoal cloak that was draped over his shoulders snapped at his legs in the surprise gust. He then turned to his companions, almost as an afterthought, his eyes narrowed as he spoke.

"We've no time, quickly, follow me." They complied.

A young sith Lieutenant closed the locker that contained his everyday uniform, his shift was over but his job was never done. For most off duty soldiers on Manaan, the nights were filled with dating, dancing and drinking. Lieutenant Calis was career military however, he knew what was expected of him. He knew if he put the hours in and kept his nose clean, he could rise to be captain within a short period of time, he had a soft spot for his recruits though, despite constant protests from his superiors. He saw no problem with caring for the men under his command._ "Happiness breeds efficiency."_ His father always told him, it may not have been a typical sith motto, but Lieutenant Calis agreed.

"You off then Jennings?" Lieutenant Calis said to the soldier perched on a thin bed opposite him. Private Jennings was a young man, barely twenty, but he had the look of someone well seasoned. Bold and butch, with stubby legs, broad shoulders and a flat stomach, a stark contrast to the Lieutenant's slim, almost effeminate physique. Jennings was intimidating to look at to be sure, but Calis had judged him to be a good man, crude yet light hearted. Private Jennings slipped a comb into his jacket pocket after running it quickly through his short, spiky hair.

"Oh yes." He replied to his superior, a sly smile spread across his wide jaw.

"Ah," Calis said with a raised eyebrow, understanding completely. "Off to pay Camilla a visit I take it?"

"Camilla is long gone." Jennings replied while eyeing himself up in the translucent metal of his locker. "No, I'm headed to the cantina, there's a Twi'lek barmaid on tonight, a shade of purple you wouldn't believe." He undid several of the buttons on his shirt as he spoke and tugged at his chest hair, making it more prominent. "Spoke to her last time, names...Rowanna. She said to come in tonight, I told her I'd have her in bed by 11 so I better get a shift on."

"And you spoke to her like that...and she didn't bar you?"

"What? Women like a bit of naughty, they love a bit of roughty-toughty, especially the Twi'lek's...their filthy!"

"Just because the majority of the Twi'lek women that you see are dancers, does not mean they all like a bit of 'roughty-toughty', as you so eloquently put it." Jennings was silent for a moment. His face held disappointment, Calis felt as though he had just shattered the boys childhood dreams and sighed as he did his best to repair the damage.

"But I'm sure this...Rowanna fits the stereotype. Now go, or you'll miss your deadline." A smile returned to the young man's face as he reached over to pat the smaller man on the shoulder.

"Thanks L.T, I'll see you when I see you." Jennings turned on his heel and the thick metal door of the barracks whooshed open. Before he could make it out into the corridor, a brilliant light ruptured around him. There was a vacuum of silence as he was thrown into the air, he was pushed back into the wall, so deep into the wall. He felt his body distorting, bending to the unbelievable pressure applied, tearing and contorting at will. The pain he was experiencing, he found it so acute, so exquisite. He knew this was the kind of feeling that you were only allowed to experience once, the intensity, it was the great plunge before the abyss, the gift of death.

Lieutenant Calis laid face down on the floor for a few moments after the blast had subsided. It was difficult for him to move at first, the world was swimming in his ears at a pace unrecognisable. He lifted his bloodied head, his eyes squinted as the haze began to clear, at that moment he wished he had lost his sight, for he blanched as he saw it. The bodies of his comrades littered the floor, the screaming and the bells were barely audible over the ringing in his ears. He pulled himself to his knees, then his feet, blood stained his hands. He saw movement, it was Jennings. Lieutenant Calis stood over the ruined body of his friend, unable to find the words. He knelt beside the boy and grasped his hand as he struggled for air.

"D...don't suppose I'll... be seeing... Rowanna tonight." Jennings slurred as he fought off the darkness that encroached, red pored through his teeth as he spoke.

"I wish I had... something important to say, but I never was good with words."

Calis put a hand on his cheek, trying desperately to comfort him, to let him know that he was not alone, but it was too late, the life had already left his eyes, he was dead.

"Calis!" That sharp bark drew the young solider back into reality. Misty eyed, he looked up into the face of his superior. He quickly rose to his feet and followed the Commander out into the long, battered hall of the base. The older man walked two paces in front at a vigorous speed, Calis didn't comment at the blood streaming from the Commander's ears.

"The bastards knew right where to hit us!" The Commander didn't turn as he spoke, not slowing for a second, leaving Calis to only imagine the expression on his superiors face, he had a vague idea though.

"How?" The Lieutenant said while building up the image in his head.

"They hacked the whole bloody system! Half of our men our dead!"

"Then where are we going sir? We should be seeing to wounded!" Now he felt he had the image in his head. He saw an angular, emotionless, thin lipped, stone eyed face. Not flinching at the death that surrounded him. But as the Commander stopped and turned to face him, he realised that he was wrong. The proportions were right, but this face was full of emotion, anger mostly, yes, weariness and anger.

"No Lieutenant, that can wait. Every able bodied soldier is to make their way to the main reception, the republic, fish head sympathising scum who did this has made a vital mistake."

"Sir?"

"Droid maintenance was gassed, certain areas in the dormitories and data centre were left untouched. The traitorous, credit grabbing, spiced up son of a nerf herder who is behind this has taken on three jobs at once. They are trying to reclaim information for the republic, get dirt on us and reclaim those useless fish heads we have stored in the dormitories!"

"Their mistake, sir?"

"Everything that has happened here required careful planning, but to strike so many targets at once, with a near perfect kill ratio while leaving specific areas completely undamaged, that requires detailed plans of the layout of the felicity and an accurate estimation of where every soldier will be. There is only one location on this backwater planet that stores all of that information at any one time. The master terminal in that room."

Calis stiffened as the Commander signalled the soldiers flocking to their position to be ready for combat. The Lieutenant's heart thundered away as he listened to the irrepressible sound of quivering fingers hovering over triggers.

"Remember," The Commander whispered while they waited for the door to be sliced open. "we are trying to take him alive, however the bastard in here could have some surprises in store for us, but he wont succeed. No enemy succeeds while even one sith soldier is standing!"

As the door finally slid open, the sith poured into the room, slowly avoiding the melted metal corpses on the ground. Several cautiously inspected these curious objects, while others investigated the carbon scarring that dominated most of the room.

"Who, or what could of done this?" One young soldier said worriedly, his shortness of breath was accentuated through his helmet. The Commander ignored him, instead focusing on the broken body of a young female sith a few feet away. Her bones were utterly shattered in several places, it seemed as though she had been thrown into the wall behind her, but not even a Wookie could have used that much force.

Force.

That word swam in the Commander's head for a moment, something felt terribly wrong here.

Lieutenant Calis moved towards the terminal that occupied the centre of the room, he stretched out his hand and pressed his index finger into the centre key, as he did so, the screen slowly flickered to life and then his eyes widened in realisation.

"Get out, GET OUT EVERYBODY OUT!" He screamed as the word goodbye shone from the screen.

It was too late.

Within a heartbeat, every living thing in the room was no more, life had simply been cleansed.

After a short period of time, a small side door discreetly opened and the three jedi stepped out into the reception. Bastila felt as though she had stepped onto a battle field that had just fallen silent. Bodies were everywhere. Logan strode past her, unconcerned by the sight, he then proceeded along the hallway, soon followed by Jolee.

"Why did I let you do that?" Bastila questioned outwardly as she finally caught up to the party.

"Do what?" Logan queried, his shoulders started to rise with tension as he began to move faster.

"I let you kill all of those people."

"It was necessary." Her spine tingled at his answer, she found it impossible to believe that this machine that was speaking was Logan.

"Necessary? How can you be so cold? They didn't all need to die!" Bastila flinched as his hands suddenly reached out and gripped her by the shoulders, pushing her into the metal wall behind her. His verdant orbs were filled with fury and she felt so insignificant next to his anger.

"They would have died anyway! You would have preferred to kill them yourself? Fine! Next time I'll let you!" He held her there for a moment, the anger that penetrated him made it impossible for him to think, to see. As it subsided, he realised what he was doing and retreated quickly, fingers still trembling with tension.

"Forgive me Bastila," He said, stepping backwards and raising his hands to his chest.

"You were so angry...what was that?" She slowly questioned while gently stepping towards him, her breathing heavy with fear. Though she was more concerned for him than herself.

"Yes boy," Jolee's voice joined, his head was subtly raised in understanding and his eyes narrowed as he asked the question. "what was that?"

Logan's eyes shifted from person to person, before finally resting on the pale features of his bond mate. He could see the worry etched onto her mouth, but decided not to address it now, instead aptly dismissing the conversation by simply walking away.

The jedi proceeded to the droid maintenance room in silence, it took Logan mere moments to salvage the data chip from the republic droid.

"Wann better be bloody prepared to help us after all this." Logan muttered to himself as he sealed the chip into a pouch on his belt.

"Are we ready to head back to the embassy now?" Jolee questioned while resting on the floor.

"Not quite, before, when I had access to the security cameras throughout this base, I noticed some Selkath in the dormitories."

"Hmm," Jolee rubbed his goatee in thought before rising to his feet. "I'm fairly sure I heard a Selkath saying something about his child being kidnapped back in the cantina."

"Lets find out if this is related, shall we?" The three jedi walked back out through the hallway and entered the door on their left. They proceeded through the desolate area into the room first before them and all stopped in their tracks as they entered. A slab of meat was lying across a medical table, it appeared to have been violently dissected. Logan quickly realised that this was once a Selkath. It's torso had been opened in several areas and it looked as if some organs had been removed. Flesh had been burnt around the arms and there were several tubes attached to the gills. Logan's nostrils flared as Bastila gripped his arm to steady herself.

"That was a child once." He said helplessly, Bastila buried her head in his sleeve, unable to look, While Jolee simply remained silent and observed. They were about to turn and leave the gruesome sight when a gurgle from the Remains of the Selkath interrupted them.

"Oh god! He's still alive!" Logan rushed to the creatures aid, desperately trying to at least provide it with some measure of comfort in its final moments. One of its withered fins reached out and clutched at his hand, pressing a gold medallion into his palm.

"*Save...them...*" It slurred through its exotic dialect before its life force was utterly spent and its head flopped back against the harsh metal of the medical table. Logan dropped to his knees as he felt the creature die. It was clinically brutal. Bastila slid her arms around his chest, pulling him away from the horrible scene. He stumbled to his feet and turned to her, dazed.

"He was a child." He said with equal amounts of asperity and despair, before sinking into her comforting embrace. As he pulled her slender frame closer to his chest, he fingered the coin like shape in his hand.

"Others, we can still save others."

"What others, where?" She said carefully as he pulled away, eager not to dispel his renewed vigour.

"I don't know, he just handed me this coin and told me to 'save them', I assume he meant more Selkath. Hurry! We must check all of these rooms!" As Logan reached out with the force, he quickly found the auras he was searching for and pointed to a large door down the hall. The door opened with a whoosh and the jedi were immediately greeted by three very armed adolescent Selkath.

"*Intruders! Kill them!*" The Selkath furthest to the left squealed, raising his blaster in an instant. Before any others had a chance to protest or agree, Logan's hand was in the air and had ripped every weapon away from the children.

"Now listen to me you fools, if you don't get out of here right now and return to your parents, you are all going to die!" Logan raised a dark eyebrow as he detected the unusual sound of Selkath laughter.

"*We've been informed of your witchcraft and lies, jedi.*" A female began, boldly stepping forward. She was obviously the leader of this group, the males clustered around her and gained confidence as she spoke. "*We are not tools for the Republic to use and discard as they see fit!*"

"The sith are evil, they will murder you all!"

"*The sith are the ones who empower us! They force us to aspire to be more!*"

"And if you fail they carve you up for dinner?"

"*What?*" Logan produced the gold medallion and handed it to the female Selkath. She studied it for a moment before stepping towards the jedi.

"*Where did you get this?*" She hissed.

"A young Selkath...we found him a moment ago, he had been brutally tortured. He gave me that before he died, he told me to save you." The girl looked at the small object for a moment longer, she knew that he wasn't lying. Logan could feel the intimate pain of the young Selkath and extended an arm towards her.

"Was he special to you?" She nodded mutely.

"*Where is he? I have to see him.*" She said a moment later, slipping the coin into a pouch on her chest.

"No, you don't, remember him as he was, remember him happy." The girl paused for a moment before nodding and signalled for the others to follow as she left the building.

"You did well." Bastila urged as she observed the grief in his face, but Logan's success held no satisfaction for him. He could only focus on the bitter taste of failure on his tongue. Jolee was once again silent, Logan could feel him watching calmly, taking note of his every movement. Logan felt as if he was under siege.

The trio headed towards the final room, with doors noticeably larger than anywhere else in the base. Logan could already feel the dark presence permeating from within but did not hesitate to enter once the heavy metal had ground open. Two Selkath stood, swords ready, with one sith looming over them. His lightsaber lay deactivated in his hand and Logan could see that he had already taken the trouble to remove his cloak.

"I sensed your presence the moment you arrived in this facility." The sith started, in a noticeably regal tone, giving his enemies time to prepare for the battle that ensued. "The unmistakeable stink of the jedi is difficult to wash from ones pallet...but you," He raised the cylindrical item in his hand and thrust it in Logan's direction. "you intrigue me. You are barely even aware of the raw power that you possess, join with me and you can reach heights you never even knew existed!" The reply was short and swift, leaving the sith with no room for debate.

"No."

"Very well then," The sith said calmly, hiding his disappointment at the rebuttal. "I am in need of a sparring match and I'm sure you will prove quite the challenge." He slowly extended his right arm and ignited the long, orange blade, bringing it to his face quickly, he then dragged it to the side with a stoop of his head in acknowledgement of his opponent. Logan felt obliged to do the same.

"Leave him," The sith barked to his indoctrinated followers as they prepared for attack. " He's mine." Logan smiled darkly as his trusted lightsaber sprung to life in his hand, its melodic hum succeeded in drowning out all worries. This sith was clearly more advanced than any he had faced before, but he was confident in his abilities. He leapt towards the dark jedi, bringing his jade sabre down hard and fast but his enemy was ready. The brilliant orange of the sith's blade was ablaze as he smacked away Logan's attack, he quickly countered with a powerful lunge of his own. Logan side stepped the swing, allowing the sith to follow the move through in an attempt to unbalance him, his green blade swirled as it floated towards it's enemies exposed back, but the sith twirled gracefully and caught his sabre with his own. The two weapons crackled and hissed in defiance as they were pushed closer together, the sparks of energy that flew from them illuminated the room.

"You have a degree of skill with a lightsaber," The sith allowed as the fierce deadlock continued, he pushed hard against his adversaries blade, it spat green in resistance. "but you are holding back, I can feel it." Logan's brow furrowed as he concentrated on holding his position, he could feel his friends through the force, their enemies were nearly dealt with, they would help him soon. "Give in to your anger, you could easily best me!" The heat of the blade was getting closer, no, he did not need that side of him to win.

The Selkath that attacked proved to be little challenge to the two experienced force wielders, Bastila leapt gracefully over her opponents sluggish blows, tiring him out before neatly decapitating him and spinning her golden blades around in triumph. She finished just in time to witness Jolee toss his sabre into his paralysed enemy. Selkath now defeated, both jedi now turned to witness the fierce battle raging before them.

Logan pushed forwards with all his might before throwing himself backwards and releasing a blast of energy towards his opponent, the sith raised his free arm and shrugged off the attack. His grim features tightened into a smile as he decided to utilise some force powers of his own. Brilliant waves of blue exploded from his fingers, the electrical energy sailed towards Logan but he was ready. He extended his palm and absorbed the energy, twisting and contorting it, making it his own before releasing it as his. The deep purple tendrils of his lighting lashed out, catching the sith completely off guard. The burst of energy sent him flying backwards and skidding to the floor. Logan was on top of him in an instant.

"You...you are not possible..." The sith breathed, the fear in his face was evident for all to see.

"Oh, I am." The young jedi snarled before plunging his lightsaber deep into the sith's throat. He rolled his head back once the sith was dead, feeling the sweat covering his neck, the cut on his knee, the singed hairs on his arm, the stillness of death.

"We should search the room." He said once he had collected himself, the jedi poured over every centimetre of the area to no avail, the only object of interest was a footlocker that was suspiciously empty, they then began to search the bodies.

Bastila knelt over the sith that Logan had recently disposed of. It was done with such efficiency. Dark strands of hair flopped forwards as she began to rummage through his pockets. She wondered, while she was searching, how many beings had now died by Logan's hand. Hundreds? Thousands? Millions? She shuddered to think.

"I think I have something!" She shouted as she produced a datapad from a pouch on the sith's belt, there was genuine excitement in her voice.

"What is it?" Logan queried, squeezing her shoulders as he knelt down beside her.

"It talks about the sith's plans for this world once the war is won, the Selkath would be enslaved and forced to mine kolto...parts of the planet would be turned into an industrial city while other areas would be kept as resorts for wealthy officials. It goes on but I don't want to read any more." Logan helped her to her feet before pocketing the datapad. He smiled at her through his eyes and squeezed her hand in understanding.

"Don't worry, we will make sure this can never happen. Now, lets get back to the embassy." Logan dusted off his cloak and tossed it over his shoulders before leaving the room with Jolee and Bastila in tow.

Logan's eyes were closed as walked out of the sith embassy. He smiled to himself as he once again breathed in the salty air of Manaan. His eyes widened quickly however, as he realised that dozens of blasters were pointing in his direction.

"*You are under arrest!*" A Selkath official barked in his native dialect, bringing his gun closer to the jedi as he spoke. Logan glanced at his fellow jedi before flailing his arms in exasperation.

"Oh crap!"


	31. Chapter 25

**Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! **

**Yes, this has taken me forever and a day to write, I have no excuse. I scrapped three or four drafts before settling with this one and then I decided to separate this from the Leviathan because it was just too long. Since I now have most of the Leviathan scenes written, it shouldn't take too long. I say this every time, I know, but I will get it done!**

**If you are still reading, please review!**

**Thanks.**

_Peace is a lie,_

_there is only passion._

_Through passion,_

_I gain strength._

_Through strength,_

_I gain power._

_Through power,_

_I gain victory._

_Through victory,_

_my chains are broken._

_The force shall free me..._

Logan's eyes slowly flickered to life. He was alone in the darkness, the endless drone of the energy shield that encased him was solitary in its effort to provide a sense of belonging.

He had been mulling over these words for some time, knowing each line, and the meaning of them, instantly. It was a part of him. To an extent, he agreed and believed in it.

It began with the first word.

Peace.

The jedi way- or at least the modern jedi way of stifling stagnation, had brought more suffering to the galaxy than any other philosophical teaching in history. Conflict, not necessarily physical, was essential for progress. The jedi council's inability to admit this was, in Logan's eyes, the main catalyst for the bloody and brutal war that they were now embroiled in. Furthermore, the council's denial that jedi were living, feeling beings- the enforcement of detachment and celibacy to the point of obsession caused more problems than it solved. Passion was an integral part of emotion. Repression of emotion could only make the power of passion more tempting. The teachings were spearheaded by (in his mentor's words of years known only to memory,) _that fool Atris._ She who clung to the doctrines of Odan-Urr so fanatically, had no right to imprint her ignorance onto the rest of the order.

It was obvious to Logan why so many a young force user found the first lesson of the Qotsisajak so seductive. The realisation that emotions were a strength could not be found in contemporary jedi teachings. However, as Logan knew only too well, the predatory nature of the sith order demanded the domination of passion, not an intimate understanding and requirement to control it. Peace, passion, emotion, the words of each order's teachings, the fabric of their beliefs, yet both jedi code and sith mantra had got it wrong.

The force was the heartbeat of the galaxy, a continuous current of energy that connected all life. Yet if the beings who could manipulate and wield it, could not understand and respect it, how could there be hope for the galaxy?

How many people lived by these codes he wondered, and how many people had died because of them?

The illumination of the holding cells drew the troubled young man from his thoughts. He pressed his hands into his thighs while pushing himself to his feet, in order to greet the three Selkath who had now entered the room. One was carrying a datapad, and despite the air of incompetence, it looked rather more exotic than the two that were flanking it.

"Can I help you?" The human sourly questioned, forearms crossed over the chest as he lent against the back of his cell. The subtlety of his wit was clearly lost on the aquatic species, much to Logan's dismay.

"*Good evening,*" The first creature began, its webbed grappler's pawing over the screen it held ever so uncomfortably. "*I am to be the arbiter for the duration of your trial.*" The young man blinked a few times and didn't reply as the Selkath buried its head once more into the datapad it was clutching.

"*You will need representation in the High Court and as you are only a visitor, I have been appointed to do so.*" The fish slurred in its exotic dialect as it continued to tamper with the technology in front of it.

"Can I not simply represent myself?" There was no immediate reply. The two guards who were previously only background noise, were now the most animated characters in the room, grunting at each other and leaning forward, awaiting the answer.

"*I would advise against it.*" The being hesitantly offered as it pocketed the datapad it had previously been fondling. Logan's brows furrowed as he concentrated, he didn't want to be seen as not cooperating, but did he trust this creature to deliver him freedom?

"Very well, I submit. When do we begin?"

"*In 15 minuets.*" The fish said as it turned on its hock and made its way to the door, the two guards not following as they began preparations to transport the prisoner to the courtroom.

"What? Wait! You haven't even questioned me!" Logan protested, now instantly regretting his previous course of action.

"*No need, I have everything ready.*" He heard his Barrister say as it sauntered off down the halls to 'prepare' for his trial.

Logan chuckled to himself as he sat in the dock of the cylindrical room he now found himself in. Ahead of him was his brief, and a snotty looking fellow obviously representing the sith. Above them were a panel of Selkath judges, these were the people who he needed to convince. To his right was the public gallery, his friends were there, naturally. He immediately spotted _her_, ever present as she was. Their eyes briefly connected across the distance, that spark was there, of course. He could hear her melodic voice whisper _"Logan"_, he looked away. That was not his name. How deliciously ironic, he found it, that here he was finally. The greatest villain of the age, the demon of the republic, the worst war criminal of them all, now on trial for trying to save the very thing he sought to 'destroy'.

_Woe to he who mocks his tragedy. _

"*Let us begin.*"

"_Logan..."_

_On I alone, the hammer-stroke must fall, for I have seen it with my own eyes, and those of many millions of innocents. I have seen what must be done, smelt it in the air, and on the bodies of the countless dead. Dead, dead, the inglorious dead, who's memories shall now linger with my own, with the smell of rotting flesh, an odour of damp wood and soil. They come to me in my dreams, whisper with their wet breath, their secret words. Scratching at my soul, my soul a light for their tortured bodies. I alone provide the means for their salvation, I who loved them know, they only have the void to comfort them. By what means should their salvation take place? Should they send their eyes and voices to strike me down? _

"*The defendant is brought before the panel today, on charges of attempted murder, murder, breaking and entering, assault, grievous assault, threats of assault, theft, damage to sith property, damage to public property, impersonating a sith officer, using a position of power to impersonate an sith officer, abduction, bribery, attempted bribery, blackmail, torture and wasting police time. Now," The head of the panel looked squarely at Logan's arbiter. "*What say you in his defence?*" The gangling creature looked quickly over its shoulder before turning back to face the panel.

"*He...is not of sound mind, your honour.*" Logan, who was somewhat amused when the charges were read out, now sensed the seriousness of the situation. "*I ask of you, your honour, and this gracious panel, to take into account the agitated state my client was in at the time, and the unfortunate and unpredictable nature of his illness. Now I Understa...*" Logan was now rising from his seat, and as he reached full height, he slammed the bracer's that bound his wrists together upon the metal bar that separated him from the court. The sound was adequate in its ability to draw attention away from his fool of a lawyer. When all eyes were eventually upon him, he merely stated,

"I would like to represent myself now, please." The Judge squinted at the human before him, the rubbery flesh behind his flat jowl puckered and curled.

"*Very well, arbiter, you are dismissed.*" The creature bowed its head and shuffled backwards, shoulders still hunched as it hurried out of the room. "*Now, I'm sure everyone in this courtroom would agree, the many charges held against you are of the most serious nature. What evidence can you present, if any, to make us take a more sympathetic tone when sentencing you?*" Logan spared another glance towards _her _before making his case.

"Your honour," He began, looking directly towards the judge, shoulders back, face full of confidence. "I would like to briefly address your Lordship and indeed this most gracious panel before presenting my evidence, which, I'm sure you will eventually agree, when put into context, will absolve me of any wrong doing whatsoever." Muffled grunts were sounded across the metal table as Selkath heads turned briskly left and right. A wave of a flipper in the centre gave Logan the go-ahead.

"Objection!" The sith representative piped up for the first time, his horse voice carrying painfully across the room.

"*What is the meaning of this intervention?"* The higher pitched grunt came from the right of the room, a slender looking Selkath, female.

"Your honours, this man is well known to be a jedi, if you allow him to speak in his own defence, he will twist the situation entirely and will cloud your minds, causing you to make irrational judgements."

"*Overruled. We must allow the defence to make his case. Speak on.*"

"Thank you, your Lordship. First, I wish to make clear, that I do not deny entering the sith base, nor do I deny that I took sith property, but this was done with the most noble of intentions. Your Lordship, as has been previously mentioned, I am a jedi. As a member of this order, one of my primary purposes is to root out evils and injustices in the galaxy, this is what I was doing on the date in question. As people in this court may know, a worrying number of Selkath children have been disappearing of late, I have been investigating this and my search..."

He paused for dramatic effect,

"led me to the sith base." Hushed shock and muted gasps escaped from his audience.

"Upon entering the base I found sights so ghastly and a conspiracy so chilling, it would render any democracy loving member of this great Republic numb."

Bastila looked on in awe as she watched this man give a performance of a life time. He was full of such confidence and charisma, yet bound and humbled. A modern day messiah. Logan preceded to tell the court of the turning and torturing of Selkath children and the sith's sinister plot for Manaan. His powerful, yet delicate display drew the whole room under his spell. When he was finished, he produced his evidence from the deep of his pocket, it was the datapad that Bastila had found in the sith base.

All objections from the sith representative were quashed as the panel read on in horror, now realising what neutrality could deliver them. A Selkath was now hastily trying to remove the metal cuffs from their saviours wrists, all charges now dropped, he was a free man once again.

For a time, at least.

"*The Selkath are in your eternal debt, jedi. You have our thanks for exposing the treachery of the sith.*"

Logan felt mildly relieved as he left the courtroom, once again being greeted by the deep blue of Manaan, he drank in the air at it's bidding.

"I knew you'd be OK!" The youthful tone of Mission Vao exclaimed as she skipped towards the former Dark Lord Of The Sith, throwing her arms around his broad frame in her elation. He replied with a friendly squeeze.

"You were great in there Logan!" This time it was Carth who was expressing his joy, "You really stuck it to those sith bastards! It is likely that the republic will get unlimited access to the Kolto after that performance!"

"Yes, well, I am a charmer." Logan allowed with a smile while greeting the rest of his friends. Finally, he met _her._ She walked slowly towards him, blue orbs glued to his. Stretching out that long, silken arm and pressing her hand to his face. She brushed a strand of his ebony mane backwards and rubbed her index finger along his cheek.

There it was, their special thing.

"Logan." Was all she mustered upon their meeting. This was so humiliating. His eyes shifted from view as he battled with the bitterness at the back of his throat. He could never be Logan. He couldn't loose her either.

"How goes your assignment, Carth?" He questioned after the reunion was done with. The older man was silent for a moment as he nibbled on his thumb.

"It's not looking too good. Sunry, it seems, has been a bit naughty."

"Having it off with a sith spy." Mission interjected, blue arm still draped over Logan.

"I was getting to that! Yes, Elora confirmed that he had been having an affair and all evidence seems to suggest that he killed her. I was filling the others in while you were...away." Jolee shouldered Carth out of the way as he joined the discussion.

"These dammed sith have framed him! They must have done! Look I know Sunry, he's not perfect, but he ain't no killer!" Logan's pale features turned back towards Carth.

"A republic soldier and a sith spy, each side will have something invested in this..." His course fingers rubbed against the dark stubble that adorned his jaw as his mind dissected the information presented to it. "We should get the mission out of the way before we deal with this, in the meantime you should continue to investigate, get a clearer picture of each sides involvement and probe, gently at the witnesses." He motioned for Jolee and Bastila to follow him and the trio headed back to the Republic embassy in silence.

Roland Wann's plump features were suddenly alert as the cumbersome door to his embassy ground open. The jedi had returned. He rose from his desk with unexpected pace as Logan strode over to greet him.

"Have you got it? Have you got the droid?" Logan fingered the data chip that he had acquired hours earlier for a moment before showing it to Wann, he then silently observed the inevitable ware and slippage of the old man's flesh. What a disgusting creature he was.

"Before I give you this," He began, palming the incriminating evidence once more. "I want to know everything." Wann sighed and tugged at the ruffled feathers across his chin. He could see he was going to have to tell the jedi the truth.

"The republic was in desperate need of more Kolto, but we were several hundred thousand units over our 'yearly requirement', so, with the help of some Selkath officials, we built a secret harvesting plant underwater. A few days ago, all communications at the station went down, no emergency transmissions, nothing. We have sent several groups of merc's to do a search and sweep but none have yet returned." A muscle in Logan's jaw twitched a few times as he looked dully at the man in front of him.

"You built a harvesting station?" Wann nodded mutely before raising one of his wiry brows at the jedi.

"Look, Hrakert Station is essential to the war effort, do you know how many lives have been saved because of Kolto? How many would die without it?" The man pushed his stubby fingers to his palms as he saw he was getting nowhere. A moment later, his blue eyes shone as he turned to Logan with a practised smile.

"This could be a fortunate day for us both after all."

"Somehow I doubt it." Logan noted dryly, Jolee let out a low chuckle at his companions latest quip, of which Bastila did not join.

"With your obvious combat abilities, you would easily be able to investigate the situation without risk...and, Now that I remember, the last team to surface did mention something about an ancient artefact at the sight, it could be your Star Map...two birds, one stone?" Logan's tongue ran slowly along his bottom molars, he pressed the organ down hard as it got to the canine. Force it was difficult restraining from hurting this man.

"How do I get down there?"

"I will give you access to one of our submersibles, it will have the coordinates to the station locked in on the nav." Logan turned to his companions and smiled.

"Are you ready to get wet?"

Blue, that beautiful blue, a hue in itself a mass of contradictions. Eternal, yet fleeting, life giving and fertile, yet so associated with loss and death. A mass of contradictions, like him.

Bastila caught a few glimpses of the vibrant, though murky entities that made their homes among the uncharted sea beads of Manaan. So full of life. Her smooth cheek pressed softly against the clear, cold glass as she gazed longingly out into the deep. Searching for something she knew she couldn't find as the trio continued their decent into a world unknown.

She turned her face upwards, cheek sticking to the glass as she felt a hand squeeze her shoulder. They were here.

Logan climbed out first and dumped his cloak into the submersible, a move which caused the female jedi to raise her full dark brows and look on with flared nostrils, she was now treated to a sight of his athletic frame. He stood there, tall, lightsaber in hand, long virile legs and masculine shoulders. Immediately in command of the situation. She blushed at her eagerness to admire his body.

"Something is wrong here." She heard her bond mate say, the green of his eyes burning in the flickering lights.

"Where are the workers? Where are the vehicles?" Bastila whispered while unclasping her blade, thoughts now fully focused on the mission. Jolee's motions mimicked his companions as he silently drew his blade, the stealth of his footwork not betraying his age.

"I can feel someone." Once Logan mouthed the words, all jedi sensed the presence. There, before them lay the creature, bloodied, battered and broken, its ruined body a sight of madness. Chunks were missing from its flesh, no facial features remained. No eyes, no mouth. Only the purple tint of its blood could hint at the truth that this was once a Twi'lek.

"Sel...ka..." Was all the carcass could gurgle before consciousness left it entirely.

"Oh...my..." Logan clutched at the slender hand next to him, she gripped his tighter, both jedi united in fear. The young man's emerald blade slowly ignited, shortly followed by yellow and purple. "We move slowly, we check every room for survivors. If anything looks like it wants a nibble, put it down. We don't need more like this." Logan said as he tore his eyes away from the mutilated corpse before moving further down the corridor.

Each footstep was laced with nerves and terror, the creaking of the metal and the dimming of the lights added to the apprehension. The glow of their blades did little to aid them here, but sparks occasionally illuminated the hall, in these rare moments it was easy to observe pieces of droid and pieces of flesh.

"It smells of death." Jolee quietly remarked, even his experienced voice catching at his throat.

"Death incarnate." Logan seconded. The jedi moved silently through the abandoned facility, painstakingly searching every room in ever fading hope of finding a survivor. The bodies mounted up quickly, however.

They moved deeper into the corridor , entering a room on the far right, claw marks adorning the heavy door frame.

No lights.

Logan's gaze shifted from left to right, the creases at the corners of his eyes getting deeper as they narrowed. Metal slid against metal. Did that locker just move?

Suddenly, a knife was at his shoulder, burying itself into the dark cloth. The grey of the cortosis weave prevented the blade from reaching its target, instead, the tip bent left, merely grazing his upper arm. As soon as his flesh was pierced, Logan was awake. In one fluid motion, he flicked his left wrist outwards, and his sabre followed his command, severing the rabid being that was upon him at the waist.

"What in the forces name was that?" Bastila's feminine tone breathed once the coast was clear. All moved closer to inspect the body.

"A Selkath, a bloody feral Selkath!" Logan snorted as he healed the cut on his arm. He didn't want to believe this, it was too insane. Why could nothing be straight forward? "Fucking fish can't even stick to their own neutrality laws! Who's committing murder now? But always it's me who's saddled with the sodding mess!" His companions stared at him blankly, he met each gaze for a moment before retreating to explore the room further.

There was a yellow envirosuit on the floor, still in good condition by the looks of it. Nestling inside the helmet was a sonic emitter, it would come in handy for any underwater encounters. Before Logan could pick up the equipment, a dull whimper drew his attention. Three ignited lightsaber's thrust into the sounds direction, they pointed in fact, to a large locker in the corner of the room. Logan pressed his ear against the thin door and winced as he listened to its owners muffled sobs.

"It's safe to come out now, the Selkath here are dead."

"Safe? No, no no no...NEVER safe! Fishy!? Would fishy like a nibble? Ha ha ha! I will have a nibble if fishy will!" Logan widened his eyes at his friends, this poor fellow was one sandwich short of a pick-nick.

"Look mate, we can get you back to the surface." A fist slammed against the inside of the locker, causing Logan to snap his head backwards in surprise.

"NO! No no no...please...fishy, just go away." Logan gave in and retreated, he could be helped later.

The trio continued to scrutinise the facility, eventually finding an airlock, no other lockers around though. Bastila's eyes widened in realisation as she saw Logan struggle to climb into the huge suit they had previously acquired.

"No, no Logan you can't, I won't let you!" She shouted while tugging at the meaty fabric he was now sporting, desperately trying to give voice to her discord.

"Bastila, there is no other way...we need the Star Map." He whispered while planting his hands firmly on her shoulders. The shear size of the gloves he was wearing engulfed her frame completely.

"It's too dangerous..."

"Like I would have it any other way."

"Let me go instead."

"I've got this bloody thing on now! Look, you two should go and wait with the submersible, I wont be long." Silence for a few moments while each soaked up the others presence. Logan glanced at the airlock before kissing his love softly on the forehead. He moved towards the airlock and punched in a command, pulling on his helmet while waiting for it to activate.

SEQUENCE WILL FINISH IN 5...4...

"Logan..." He hesitated before turnning to face her.

3...2...

"I can't loose you."

1...PLEASE PROCEED THROUGH AIRLOCK DOOR,

"Nor I you."

With that, he sealed his helmet and headed out to greet the real Manaan.

So many words came to mind as Logan shuffled across the ocean floor. He just could not get over the sweeping sensationalism of it all. How could one not be in awe? He blinked up at the liquid sky as he caught a faint glimpse of a blue ray of light. Blue quickly turned to purple, then to turquoise, from turquoise to white, then cyan, then it was gone. As he returned to his senses, he began to realise a shadowy creature was moving towards him, fast. He tried to dodge the incoming assault, but he was not used to this suits constrains. As a consequence, the Firaxa shark partially landed its attack, knocking him clean to the ground. He dislodged heaps of clogged soil as he skidded to a halt. The substance smeared across his helmet, blinding him to a degree.

He could feel the creature though, ploughing towards him now at full throttle. Logan pulled out his sonic emitter and used the force to guide his hand as he lay there in the dirt. With one squeeze of the trigger, a wave of pure sonic energy was blasted at the creature, destroying it at once.

Logan brushed off this latest indecent as he pulled himself to his feet, slowly beginning the painstaking trek across the vast bed of sand and rock and life.

"Hey! Hey you! Over there!" Logan raised his head, squinting out of the smudged screen in his suit, shocked to see someone like him muddling, with surprising haste, towards him.

"Are you one of the mercenaries? Where is the rest of your team?"

"Oh god, their all dead...torn to pieces...I thought I was the last one left alive down here. We've got to get out of here now!"

"Not yet. I need to get to the Kolto centre, you should come with me."

"You haven't got a hope in hell! This place is swarming with Firaxa! We need to go ba..."

Before the man could finish his statement, he found himself at the mercy of the relentless jaws of a monstrous shark. It bit cleanly through his envirosuit, quickly finding the flesh and muscle of the man. His screams were quickly silenced, but not before they chilled Logan to the core.

He moved quickly now, as quickly as nature and will would allow him, yet even with all his efforts, it still felt like a snail's crawl. Time seemed to be distilled before him, each exhalation came sooner than the last, but the world just did not move.

What felt like a life-age later, Logan found himself outside another airlock, he hurried indoors and peeled of the cumbersome attire. Relief washed over him as he freed himself from the outfit, being able to move again felt good. He soon had ample opportunity to explore his new-found emancipation as four rabid looking Selkath were heading straight towards him.

Logan's lightsaber sizzled to life as he charged towards the action, he dropped to his knees and rolled under the first enemies clumsy jab. His blade traced his movement, slicing the Selkath's legs off in the process. Quickly he turned, twirling the jade weapon high as he did, neatly decapitating the foe on his flank. An orange bolt flew towards his face as he locked blades with his third opponent, he raised his free hand and absorbed the shot, quickly sending it sailing back towards its owner, hitting the creature square on the forehead. Shifting his weight onto his right leg, he used the other limb to kick out at the final Selkath, sending it toppling to the floor. In a heartbeat, he was on top of it, sinking his blade into its chest. It was quiet again.

He dusted himself off and pressed on into a large room, a shimmering force-field at its centre.

"Stay back!" An agitated voice shouted, Logan quickly made out two people cowering behind the shield. "I'll do it! I'll de-pressurise the chamber!"

"Whoa whoa whoa! No need to be so hasty!" Logan said hurriedly with his hands in front of him, not wishing to be suffocated to death, he quickly tried to appease them. "Look, I'm a jedi, I'm here to help."

"Don't listen! He'll let the Selkath in!" The dark skinned woman shouted to her companion, the male agreed and tampered with a panel to the left of him.

DE-PRESSURISATION WILL BE COMPLETE IN 58 SECONDS

"Shit salad." Logan muttered to himself as he hacked a terminal close to him, quickly managing to stabilise the pressure and disable the force-field that segregated the room. He turned his head left slowly and glared at the two people opposite him.

"I'm sorry," The woman said sincerely as Logan walked towards them. "I was just so frightened."

"We both were."

"You fools could have killed me." The jedi hissed, stony eyed. He stared, unfeeling, at their shambling forms, though his expression softened when he saw the guilt on their faces.

"Look!" The male sounded with his pale hands circling the tufts of hair at his temples, angst-ridden voice betraying his nature. "We have just witnessed a...a...a massacre! All our friends are dead! The Selkath...they, they just went crazy! When we de-pressurised the chamber...I'm sorry." Logan raised a hand as he moved towards them, keeping quiet as the woman explained the situation. She described in some detail their role at the facility studying the Hrakert rift, and their involvement in constructing a Kolto harvesting device. Logan became intrigued when she suggested that the device could have disturbed a creature.

"What sort of creature?" He questioned, slight inflection towards the end of his sentence as he lowered the last word.

"A, a giant Firaxa...bigger than anything ever recorded!" The male interjected. "It came up from the rift...making a terrible noise that got right inside your head...a screeching...It must have been what drove the Selkath crazy." He raked his nervous fingers through his thinning hair as he lowered his head and continued.

"It seems to be guarding something, some sort of artefact, but we can't get close." Logan's eyes lit up at the mention of an artefact.

"I need to get out there."

"Did you hear what I just said?" A blank stare was shot towards the man, who sighed before continuing. "I suppose, if you were to use the harvesting device to release this poison into the water," He pulled a small, murky green vial from the thick of his jacket as he spoke. Grubby fingers staining the glass. "then you could kill the shark and any others in the area."

"No! Its only been tested in a controlled environment! It could effect the Kolto and permanently damage the ecosystem!" The woman challenged, walking closer to Logan as she continued. "Destroy the machinery. This is easily done, just overload the canisters holding the chemicals, no permanent damage done to the area and we can rebuild, make it safer."

"But that will set us back years! Without that Kolto, we could loose the war!"

"If you use that poison, there will be NO Kolto at all." Logan was silent for a moment as he weighed up all options, face creasing and contorting in thought. Without speaking, he retrieved his envirosuit and donned it with some difficulty before heading to the airlock.

"Here's the poison," the man said, shoving it into the jedi's fat yellow glove. "I hope you make the right choice."

_So do I._

The sea bead seemed darker than before, sand thicker somehow, even the flora was different. Taller, blue in tone, no purples and greens like before.

Then he understood.

A colossal shark was a few metres ahead, larger than any aquatic species that Logan had ever before witnessed. She was territorial in her movement, swimming in circles above what looked like a giant egg. Only this egg emanated the dark side.

_Right._ Logan thought to himself as he walked towards the machinery, pushing the buttons on the control panel in front of him as he left the other matter to one side for the moment. He had decided to destroy the machinery, though getting the chemicals to the right consistency proved more difficult than he had previously thought. After several attempts, he had finally mixed the volatile cocktail. The liquid housed in the containers at his feet started to bubble as the metal shook and expanded. Warnings flashed across the screen in front of him before all lights died. Nothing for a moment, then-

**BOOM! **

White and green and purple filled Logan's vision as he flew backwards, landing awkwardly a few feet away. He lay there, forked and writhing as a fire blazed across the right of his torso. No time to waste.

Something had pierced his envirosuit and water was entering, fast. He grunted as he rolled gingerly onto his back and reached to press something on his wrist in an attempt to clamp his suit. No use, the power was dead. What good was the oxygen tank if he was going to drown anyway? He smiled at the soothing feeling as cold liquid ran over his body, no one could help him now.

He closed his eyes, slowly feeling his body numb, his breathing gradually started to slow, then halt altogether. The remnants of air in his lungs were now preserved, bolstered with the force. Logan created a barrier around his form in order to protect himself from the pressure of the atmosphere in the deep before cutting himself free from the carcass of his suit. He had nothing left to give at the moment, and swam with great difficulty towards his goal, unable to attend to his damaged body. He glanced around, clutching the sonic emitter, all sharks were gone, the death of the Kolto harvester serving its purpose. He kicked his legs, the motion propelling him further through the water while his ribcage groaned in protest,.then there it was.

The Star Map.

Slowly, the ancient artefact came to life, its metal petals opening in unison as it began to reveal its secret. Logan was grateful that most of his equipment was waterproof as he downloaded the contents of the map onto his datapad.

_One more to go._

He was spread thin now, reserves of energy dwindling, yet on he carried. He wriggled through the water, right hand plastered plastered to his ribs. The insignificance he felt was staggering, one entity against a vast expanse of nothingness. Once again, he was alone in the dark.

The airlock was close now, but moving was getting more and more difficult, the barrier protecting him was weakening and he had no reserves to bolster it. Quickly, he made a decision to relinquish his control over the traces of air in his lungs, and his vision instantly blurred as he did so. He had seconds, he guessed, before his body shut down. He was tearing at the seams, but he ploughed on, now drawing on his free crumbs of force supply to aid his movement through the water. He moved as fast as he was able, pink face, bubbles at his nose, clutching at the steel wheel on the outside of the airlock. He reached with all his might and punched in the entry code on the flap to the side. He waited, waited, with all will and patience, waited. The darkening of his eyes made him panic, but he had no strength to fight the inevitable. Consciousness was evaporating, all time felt like a strand of the most delicate silk spread before him, hidden by a cloth of sea and dirt and air and ignorance. Through the dulling of his musings, he heard the door bleep and unlock, and, using his last morsel of strength he pulled on the door and forced himself through it.

He landed hard on his back, a puddle of water quickly forming around him. For a while he just lay there, greedily inhaling the sweet, plentiful air, ignoring the painful protests of his side for a moment, before reaching into a damp pouch on his belt and producing a medpack. The broken jedi pulled himself up against a metal wall, still breathing hard as he removed his charcoal tunic and the soaking black shirt under it. He then gingerly pressed his fingers into the right side of his ribcage, instantly realising that the lower two were broken. He pulled a large syringe of Kolto from the medpack, summarising that this would do until he had the strength to heal himself fully.

He bit his lip and winced as he plunged the instrument into his flesh, liquid dripping from his chin as he released the healing juice into his system. After the pain had deadened some, he stood once more, glad to be on solid land again.

Glad not to be dead.

Logan re-donned his soaking attire and proceeded into the room that housed the scientists, sweeping a hand through his damp ebony waves.

"You did the right thing," The woman said, relieved to see the jedi safe. "We watched you on the monitor...you could ha...you risked a lot for the welfare of this planet. Thank you."

"Let us hope the welfare of the Republic does not suffer too much." The woman's counterpart said, not looking as angry as Logan had anticipated.

"I could take you both to the surface if you'd like." Logan suggested while he tugged at the soggy fabric that clung to his skin.

"We should assess the damage before we leave, see if there is anything we can salvage." The man replied, subtly displaying his displeasure.

"Besides, now that the base is safe once more, we should try to do a full casualty count." The woman said, seconding the decision to stay put.

"Very well, before I leave then, I should mention that I found a survivor hiding in a locker back at the main facility...do you know of any transport that can get me back to Hrakert station?"

"Follow me."

Bastila was sat crossed legged in the front seat of the submersible, Jolee sprawled out asleep behind her. She was using Logan's cloak as a cover, occasionally bringing the soft fabric to her face and just smelling.

He had been gone for too long, not just since he went through that airlock, but for a while now, he had been...different. She couldn't decide what it was about him, a darkness and distance she failed to place.

She took another sniff. Then rubbing the grey material against the bone of her cheek.

"God, you need to get laid." The gravel toned voice of Jolee murmured at the back of her head.

"W...what!?" She twisted her body round and shot a mortified glance at the old man.

"You've been sitting there, with that cloak for all this time, worrying and lusting after the boy who wares it! If you take my advice..."

"Which I wont."

"If you take my advice, you should tell him everything then just get it on!"

"Jolee Bindo! You are possibly the most crude, most vulgar old man the galaxy has to offer!"

"Come now my dear, I'm too old to partake in name calling, but if I did, I could say some very amusing things about you!" Bastila's ice blue orbs widened, daring the man to speak, before he could though, a small transport surfaced next to theirs, and from it emerged a wet and weary Logan. Bastila scrambled from her seat to meet him, he wasn't in the mood for nicety's however.

"Logan!" He cringed at the name and looked at her with his oh so heavy eyes.

"Let's get back up to the surface, shall we?"

Roland Wann was not best pleased when Logan told him of the events at the facility, not best pleased at all. Though Logan was in no mood to defend himself from a buffoon like Wann, he soon found he had to once again defend himself and his companions from the courts. It was not difficult to convince the court that he had acted in the best interests of Manaan by destroying the machinery and sparing- what had turned out to be- the Progenitor, an ancient ancestor to all Selkath. Soon, he was a free man once more.

After the hectic events of the day, the crew of the Ebon Hawk headed to the cantina to unwind. The area was bustling with life and laughter. Logan ordered a Corellian rum from the bar before sitting on the stool next to Carth.

"Why so glum?" He asked his friend, he took a sip from the the plumb toned concoction, tensing his neck and breathing through gritted teeth as it burnt the back of his throat. The older man looked at him silently, downing his drink and pulling out his datapad, he pressed the screen a few times before passing it to Logan. The jedi took the thin device and watched the screen with no emotion as a video showing an old man take a blaster to a young woman's back was played before his eyes. It looped again, again, again.

"Where did you get this?" Logan questioned flatly after taking a larger gulp of his drink.

"Mission. The Republic embassy."

"And what do you want do do about it?" Carth raked one hand through his unkempt mop while bringing the other to his face. His thumb went to his mouth and he bit the stub of his nail that remained. His brown eyes met Logan's green ones, both men knowing what telling the truth could mean for the Republic.

"I, I just don't know. Sunry wants me to represent him, I was going to but...but knowing what I know now...I can't do it. I can't betray the Republic either." Logan transplanted the information form Carth's datapad to his, he then downed the remnants of his drink before rising to leave. His friend clutched his arm before he could however.

"Logan, what are you going to do?"

"Pay Sunry a visit."

Logan entered the cell block opposite the one that he was previously housed in, asking to be alone with his new client. As Sunry's new arbiter, the guards agreed, the prisoner was not too happy though.

"Who are you, where's Onasi?" The 'war hero' said as Logan's imposing figure circled the force-cage that protected him.

"Onasi's not coming, murderer."

"What? How dare you! I'm an innocent man!" The jedi took out his datapad and played the video to Sunry who paled and edged to the back of his cage.

"Listen to me, I...I had no choice, she was a sith spy! I was trying to protect the Republ..." Logan's hand was in the air, fingers tensed, index closing in on thumb. The old man's hands were clawing at his throat, horror and realisation in his eyes.

"Do you feel that, Sunry?" Logan whispered as he moved closer to the cage. "Do you feel death closing in? I have killed so many people, I have felt them die in my hands, and I loved it. The power, the feeling of importance, control, it's all very addictive." He raised his hand higher, lifting his victim's feeble body off the ground.

"When you watched her die, did you get that same feeling? I think you did. Killing someone who deserves it...like you for instance, that's one thing, but shooting someone in the back? For no reason? You're even worse than me!"

Sunry's leathery neck was purple and bleeding, but Logan didn't relent. A cruel, thin smile spread across his face as he revelled in the old man's suffering.

"Killing you would be so easy, so deliciously easy...a favour to the galaxy even, god I'd fucking enjoy it..but today's your lucky day." He relaxed his hand, letting his victim drop to the floor. Sunry spat blood from his mouth and caressed his bruised neck as he laid in a crumpled heap in his cell. He looked up with fear at the monster in front of him, realising the he was at his complete mercy.

"You...you're not, going...to kill me?"

"No. I'm going to represent you."

"Why?"

"Because I serve the Republic."

It was not difficult for Logan to present his case before the Selkath court. He had researched all the evidence that Carth had presented him with before the trial. He knew which witnesses to grill and which not to, he knew how to charm and to cheat and to lie. Getting Sunry off was so easy, it wasn't even worth a second thought. Though afterwards, when not guilty was read out, and he was standing there surrounded by his friends, watching the man kiss his wife, he felt dirty.

He was still thinking about this hours later, standing outside the cantina in the dark, hands over the rail with a glass in his hand, he looked out at the boundless waves, feeling lost somewhere out in the waters.

"Logan," His head lowered as _that name_ pierced his ears. There was no escape from it, Logan would always be there, taunting him, reminding him of what he could have been, what he could have had.

"Are you all right?" Bastila's feminine voice queried as she pressed a hand against his shoulder before joining him at the railing.

"Hmm, just thinking."

"About?" He took another swig of his Corellian rum before speaking, his alcohol infused breath steamed in the crisp night air.

"About lots of things...but mainly about what a bad person I am." She stared at his troubled face, shocked by his honesty. Why would he say that, why would he think it?

"You are not a bad person." She said without pause, leaning against his arm as they both stared out at the mysterious waters. The velvet sky was home to many stars tonight.

"Yes I am. I've done so many bad things, wicked...unforgivable things, and I can't stop, I know I can't stop."

"Logan..."

"Sunry did it Bastila, he murdered that woman, and I knew, I knew he was guilty but I destroyed the evidence and let him walk free." She was silent for a moment, thinking about why he would do such a thing.

"You did it to protect the Republic."

"Did you not here what I told you? I let a man get away with murder!"

"Logan," He cringed once more. "If you had not lied, we may have lost the war, we both know that, we all thought he may have done that, so why are you still thinking about this?"

"There's more...before, when I questioned him...I nearly killed him. I had him by the throat, draining the life from him, and I loved it." He looked into her face as he spoke, her features were calm but behind those eyes he knew so well, there was something...fear.

"I loved every second of it...I'm a monster." He looked back out towards the midnight coloured ocean, silvery ripples in the waters stretched out for eternity.

"Do you remember what you said to me back on Tatooine?" She questioned softly. Bringing a hand to his face and turning it to meet hers. Those eyes of his, so lost.

"You told me that one act does not condemn you, it's how you deal with the consequences that defines you, and I believe it...I believe you." He lowered his head again before finishing his drink.

"No matter what you have done, you're not a bad man."

"I should prep the ship for launch...we'll be leaving soon." Logan walked off into the night, leaving Bastila utterly deflated at her failure to help him, she would have to tell the truth, but if she lost him...

Bastila was on her knees in the centre of her room on the ship. She had been meditating for some time, though not very successfully. No matter how hard she tried to open herself to the force, all she could think about was him and what he said.

_I'm a monster..._

There was a soft knock at her door and it opened before she could grant permission.

"Hey, Bas.." Logan said as he walked into view. He waited for her to get to her feet before continuing.

"Carth will be activating hyper-space soon, just thought I'd let you know." He retreated into the shadows once more, but she called out after him and he returned to view. The green in his eyes looked diluted somehow, he looked as if he'd been crying.

"Sit with me for a moment, would you?" He complied, and they both took residence upon her comfortable bunk. How should she broach the subject? She did not know. Should she just come out with it? Should she build up to it? When was the appropriate time to tell somebody that they were once the Dark Lord Of The Sith? He cut off her train of thought, piercing her soul with those gorgeously green eyes of his.

"Bastila..." He said her full name, he only used it in the most serious of situations.

"I...I wasn't going to speak to you about this...but I can't keep up the pretence any longer...everything we have, I want it to be based on trust and truth...so before I tell you, I must know." He took her face in his hands, rubbing her soft skin with his thumbs as he looked into her blue, grey eyes.

"Do you trust me?" She looked in her heart for her reply.

"Yes."

"Do you love me?" She repeated the process before answering.

"Yes." A sigh of relief escaped Logan's lips.

"Bastila...I'm not who...what you think...I...I'm...R..." Before the name could escape its owners lips, the lights died and red alarms began to flash.

The sith were here.


End file.
